UC-MRI 


riiM«iir> i<  M» 


AUG  5  1*12 
GIFT 


GIFT  OF 


STILLMAN  WILLIAMS  ROBINSON 


A  MEMORIAL 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  OHIO  STATE  UNIVERSITY 

COLUMBUS 

1912 


-  KV^ 

(-Vcf 

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INTRODUCTION 


FEELING  most  keenly  the  loss,  not  only  to  the  Uni- 
versity but  also  to  the  world  of  science,  that  had  been 
sustained  in  the  death  of  Stillman  W.  Robinson,  and  de- 
siring to  pay  a  more  than  passing  tribute  of  respect  and  love 
to  his  memory,  the  Faculty  of  the  Ohio  State  University 
voted  to  hold  a  memorial  service  in  honor  of  its  distinguished 
colleague  in  the  University  Chapel  on  February  22,  1911. 
The  committee  having  in  charge  the  arrangement  of  the 
program  sought  to  have  a  representative  from  each  univer- 
sity with  which  Professor  Robinson  had  been  identified, 
and  one  speaker  to  represent  the  large  body  of  alumni  who 
had  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  members  of  his  classes  in 
their  undergraduate  days.  In  behalf  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  Professor  Joseph  Baker  Davis  prepared  the  ad- 
dress which,  in  the  absence  of  the  writer,  was  read  by  Dean 
Mortimer  Elwyn  Cooley;  Professor  Ira  Osborn  Baker  rep- 
resented the  University  of  Illinois;  Mr.  Charles  Frederick 
Marvin,  '83,  the  Alumni,  and  Professor  Embury  Asbury 
Hitchcock  spoke  in  behalf  of  the  Faculties  of  the  Ohio 
State  University. 

Owing  to  the  rare  value  of  the  addresses  presented  on 
this  occasion,  it  was  decided  that  they  should  be  brought 
together  in  a  form  of  such  permanence  as  their  worth  sug- 
gests. To  this  end  the  publication  of  this  volume  was 
authorized  by  the  University.  Although  it  may  be  highly 
treasured  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  it  is  but  a  feeble 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  man  whose  life  and  work  have 
touched,  in  a  helpful  manner,  the  lives  of  so  many. 


242495 


STILLMAN  WILLIAMS  ROBINSON 


Born  on  a  farm  near  South  Reading,  Vermont,  March 
6,  1838. 

Apprentice  in  a  machine  shop,   1855-1859. 

Entered  University  of  Michigan,  January,  1861. 

Received  Civil  Engineering  degree,  June,  1863. 

Assistant  Engineer,  United  States  Lake  Survey,  1863- 
1866. 

Instructor  of  Engineering,  University  of  Michigan, 
1866-1867. 

Assistant  Professor  of  Mining  Engineering  and  Geod- 
esy, 1867-1870. 

Assistant  Engineer  and  Astronomer  in  establishing 
western  boundary  line  of  Nebraska,  Summer  of  1869. 

Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering,  University  of 
Illinois,  1870-1878. 

Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics,  The 
Ohio  State  University,  1 878- 1 88 1 . 

Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering,   1881-1895. 

Inspector  of  Railways  and  Bridges,  Railroad  Commis- 
sion of  Ohio,  1880-1884. 

Consulting  Engineer  for  Lick  Telescope  and  Mountings, 
1887. 

Resigned  from  The  Ohio  State  University  to  devote  his 
time  to  his  extensive  professional  interests,  1895. 

Received  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science,  The  Ohio  State 
University,  1896. 


Title  of  Emeritus  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering 
conferred,  1899. 

Was  a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers;  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers;  Society  of 
Naval  Architects  and  Marine  Engineers;  Ohio  Society  of 
Mechanical,  Electrical  and  Steam  Engineers;  Fellow  in 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 

One  of  the  Founders  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Engineering  Education. 

Death  occurred  October  31,   1910. 


In  Behalf  of  the  University  of  Michigan 


JOSEPH  BAKER  DAVIS,  C.  E. 

Professor  Emeritus  of  Geodesy  and  Surveying 


TTHE  power  of  a  nation  is  in  the  character  of  its  men  and 
A  women.  The  greatness  of  a  nation  is  in  the  ideals  of 
its  citizens.  The  glory  of  a  nation  is  in  the  lives  of  its 
people.  It  is  these  unseen  things  which  endure — that  are 
eternal.  By  any  of  these  tokens — or  by  them  all — Stillman 
Williams  Robinson  was  a  useful  and  valuable  citizen.  So 
may  we  remind  ourselves  of  our  place  and  part  in  the 
making  of  the  nation. 

When  the  University  of  Michigan  counts  up  its  treas- 
ures, it  places  first  its  graduates,  for  by  these  fruits  shall  be 
known  the  value  of  its  work.  Conscious  that  in  honoring 
one  of  them,  the  University  is  in  a  sense  but  honoring  itself, 
it  will  not  withhold  a  tribute  of  loyal  regard,  but  plead  for 
the  kind  indulgence  of  the  natural  sentiments  of  an  Alma 
Mater. 

When  we  meet  to  honor  a  man  of  science,  a  teacher,  or 
an  engineer,  and  Mr.  Robinson  was  all  of  these  in  a  most 
admirable  sense  of  the  words,  those  who  observe  our  devo- 
tion naturally  ask  what  has  this  person  done  to  deserve  these 
tributes  of  respect.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Robinson  this  is 
not  so  easy  to  answer.  There  is  the  briefest  possible  cate- 
gory of  his  labors  prepared  by  himself  some  time  in  1905 
or  early  in  1906,  from  which  has  been  taken  nearly  every 
fact  that  has  appeared  regarding  him,  except  the  few  remi- 
niscences of  friends.  This  seems  to  be  all  that  there  is.  We 
may  be  very  sure  there  is  no  line,  nor  word,  nor  hint,  in  the 
data  furnished  by  him,  giving  the  slightest  clue  to  his  inner 
life.  We  may  read  in  the  Memorial  presented  to  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers  by  Professor  Orton 
and  his  two  associates,  that  "His  early  life  was  that  of  a 
country  boy,  but  he  had  such  a  love  for  mechanics  that  he 


served  a  four-year  apprenticeship  as  a  machinist.  In  this 
way  he  earned  the  money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his 
early  education  and  his  preparation  for  college. 

"In  1 860  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  mak- 
ing the  journey  from  his  home  principally  on  foot,  and  meet- 
ing his  expenses  by  working  as  a  machinist."  In  these  simple 
words  are  embraced  the  youthful  aspirations  that  impelled 
Professor  Robinson  to  his  destiny.  Let  us  look  within  a 
little  and  see  what  this  really  means.  Presumably  young 
Robinson's  home  was  where  he  was  born  at  South  Reading, 
Vermont,  on  the  sixth  of  March,  1838.  By  the  time  he 
was  twenty-two  and  one  half  years  of  age  he  had  defrayed 
the  expenses  of  his  early  education  and  prepared  for  college, 
largely  from  his  own  resources.  He  had  served  his  time, 
four  years,  in  becoming  a  real  machinist,  as  his  work  after- 
wards showed.  He  was  not  merely  a  tender  of  machines 
that  did  the  work.  He  was  a  mechanic.  Indeed  he  be- 
came a  mechanician.  This  showed  how  well  his  four  years 
had  been  spent 

He  presented  himself  for  admission  to  the  University  of 
Michigan  after  a  journey  that  could  not  have  been  less  than 
six  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  made  principally  on  foot. 
How  far  he  actually  traveled,  or  how  long  he  was  on  the 
way  we  may  never  know.  We  can  guess  how  he  might 
have  paid  his  way.  How  had  he  learned  about  the  far  off 
University  of  Michigan,  then  just  beginning  to  offer  courses 
leading  to  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer?  However,  he  had 
learned  of  it.  The  fact  that  he  did  know  of  it  is  a  witness 
of  his  acuteness  in  acquiring  useful  knowledge  that  was 
characteristic  of  him  always.  We  may,  perhaps,  assist  our- 
selves to  realize  how  far  away  this  University  was  by  re- 
flecting that  the  sovereign  state  in  which  was  his  home  is 

10 


about  forty-two  miles  wide  at  the  latitude  where  he  lived. 
At  this  time,  1860.  the  University  of  Michigan  began  its 
course  for  civil  engineers  with  the  sophomore  work  in  the 
Department  of  Literature,  Science  and  Arts,  and  gave  the 
degree  after  three  years  of  study.  Mr.  Robinson  came  pre- 
pared to  enter  upon  this  course  of  study.  So  we  find  him 
at  twenty-two  and  one-half  years  of  age  entering  the  Uni- 
versity, really  a  self-made,  and  a  well-made  man. 

About  three  years  after  his  graduation,  namely,  in  the 
fall  of  1 866,  he  began  teaching  as  Assistant  in  Civil  Engi- 
neering under  Professor  De  Volson  Wood.  At  the  end  of 
this  college  year  he  was  made  Assistant  Professor  of  Mining 
Engineering  and  Geodesy,  which  position  he  retained  until 
1870.  He  was  a  teacher  in  the  University  of  Michigan  for 
four  years.  His  work  in  the  class  room  was  always  char- 
acterized by  personal  friendliness  for  the  student;  balance 
and  repose  on  his  own  part;  very  adequate  knowledge,  a[>- 
parently  the  result  of  experience;  no  thought  of  himself,  his 
position,  place,  or  dignity;  just  a  kind  gentleman  who  stood 
always  ready  to  do  anything  we  needed  to  have  done. 
Discipline  never  showed  itself.  There  was  no  need  of  any. 
Those  who  went  to  college  in  1865  to  1870  will  better 
understand  what  this  reference  to  discipline  means.  It  is 
no  exaggeration  to  refer  to  those  times  as  rough, — they 
were  rough  in  many  ways.  His  success  as  a  teacher  was 
only  the  fruitage  of  the  character  and  labors  of  the  young 
man  from  Vermont,  who,  as  a  student  but  a  few  years 
before,  entered  the  very  class-rooms  where  he  was  teaching, 
and  was  proof  that  he  really  was  a  well-made  man,  of  ex- 
perience, understanding,  and  attainments. 

His  graduation  thesis  upon  the  subject  of  "A  New 
Form  of  Suspension  Bridge,"  was  published  in  the  Journal 

11 


of  the  Franklin  Institute,  Philadelphia,  in  1863,  the  year 
he  received  his  degree  of  C.  E.  Immediately  upon  gradu- 
ation he  became  an  assistant  engineer  on  the  United  States 
Survey  of  the  Northern  and  Northwestern  Lakes,  com- 
monly spoken  of  as  the  Lake  Survey,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years,  and  until  his  return  to  the  University  as 
Professor  Wood's  assistant.  The  next  year,  1864,  he 
published  three  more  articles  in  the  Journal  of  the  Franklin 
Institute,  two  of  which  follow  up  the  abstruse  subject  of 
his  thesis  and  the  studies  suggested  thereby.  The  third 
was  upon  an  engineering  problem  of  the  rafters.  The  same 
year,  and  in  the  same  journal,  appeared  his  article  upon 
Dr.  Briinnow's  magnetic  break-circuit  Here  are  three 
investigations  of  original  problems  in  the  theory  of  structures 
and  the  paper  upon  the  break-circuit,  published  the  next 
year  after  graduation,  and  representing  labors  in  addition  to 
the  requirements  laid  upon  him  by  his  position  upon  the 
Lake  Survey.  The  next  year,  1865,  he  published  in  the 
Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute  his  papers  upon  "Leveling 
and  Surveying  by  Means  of  the  Visual  Angle  and  Rod." 
Quite  likely  these  papers  grew  out  of  his  connection  with 
the  Lake  Survey.  What  is  called  the  Stadia  had  been  in-' 
troduced  upon  the  Lake  Survey  by  an  assistant  engineer 
named  Myers  and  may  have  come  from  Italy.  Assistant 
Engineer  Robinson,  with  others,  appreciated  the  lack  of  any 
mathematical  basis  for  the  theory  of  this  useful  device. 
The  result  was  the  papers  here  referred  to.  Possibly  there 
have  been  but  two  material  additions  to  this  theory  since, 
and  it  is  quite  doubtful  if  there  have  been  any  additions  to 
the  collection  of  methods  of  reducing  the  field  notes  of  a 
stadia  survey  published  by  him  at  that  time, — forty-five 
years  ago.  This  is  a  witness  of  the  comprehensive  nature 


12 


of  his  investigations,  and  the  thoroughness  with  which  he 
carried  them  out.  Men  are  still  bringing  out  new  things 
relating  to  stadia  reductions  that  he  published  before  they 
were  born.  This  was  the  second  year  after  graduation. 
In  this  same  year  he  published  in  this  same  journal  a  con- 
tinuation of  his  studies  in  structural  mechanics, — matter  at 
that  time  sufficiently  abstruse.  To  this  he  added  his  paper 
on  the  use  of  the  double  eye-piece  in  the  determination  of 
the  personal  equation.  It  is  to  be  readily  doubted  if  there 
were  a  large  number  of  engineers,  not  to  say  mathema- 
ticians, at  that  time,  who  stood  ready  to  attack  the  problem 
of  the  stadia,  or  to  seek  to  confine  within  rational  bounds  the 
elusive  personal  equation, — different  for  every  different  person 
and  for  every  hour  and  circumstance  of  the  day's  work. 
The  prohibitive  difficulties  of  a  problem,  instead  of  dis- 
couraging this  recent  graduate,  only  made  it  seem  more 
desirable  to  his  mind  that  the  thing  should  be  done.  He 
did  many  impossible  things,  in  those  years,  and  afterwards. 
The  next  year,  1 866,  the  third  after  his  graduation,  he  put 
forth  his  paper  on  "Jets  of  Water."  So  his  writings  con- 
tinued nearly  to  the  end  of  his  days,  as  we  knew  him. 
They  covered  an  astonishing  variety  of  subjects  and  there 
is  an  astonishing  number  of  them.  It  may  be  doubted  if  he 
knew  how  many  there  are,  as  he  refers  to  them  as  some 
fifty  in  number,  in  the  memorandum  of  1905  or  1906, 
above  referred  to;  while  a  search  of  the  library  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  reveals  seventy  contributions  of  his 
to  engineering  knowledge.  References  are  made  by  him 
to  still  other  publications  of  his  that  were  not  found.  The 
memorandum  of  this  search  ends  with  the  statement  that 
"This  is  not  a  complete  bibliography."  Regarding  the 
range  and  variety  of  subjects  comprised  in  this  incomplete 

13 


bibliography  a  few  references  must  now  suffice.     Besides 
those  mentioned  before  there  are  the  following  titles: 

Vibration  in  Extended  Media  and  the  Polarization  of 
Sound. 

Principles  of  Mechanism. 

Railroad  Economics. 

Efficiency  of  the  Crank. 

Screw  Propulsion. 

Spiral  Springs. 

Electric  Induction  by  Stress. 

Cutting  and  Planing  Stone. 

River  Gauging  and  the  Double  Float. 

Economy  in  Electric  Generation. 

Measurement  of  Gas  Wells. 

There  are  also  his  inventions.  He  numbers  them  at 
about  fifty.  Some  thirty-five  or  forty  of  which  were  pat- 
ented, he  says.  The  records  of  the  patent  office  show 
forty-two  patents  granted  to  him.  He  enumerates  nine 
subjects  of  his  inventions  and  refers  to  the  rest  as  "Others 
for  various  purposes."  As  a  matter  of  fact  his  inventions 
cover  a  range  and  variety  of  subjects  comparable  with  the 
exceeding  great  range  and  variety  of  his  contributions  to 
engineering  knowledge  by  publication.  They  also  cover  the 
same  time, — namely,  from  his  graduation  from  college  until 
the  end  of  his  life.  His  patent  office  record  begins  in  1 866, 
the  third  year  after  his  graduation  and  closes  with  1910, 
the  year  of  his  death.  His  first  patent  appears  to  have  been 
for  an  Escapement  for  Timepieces.  His  last  patent  was  a 
Lens  Grinding  Machine.  Between  these  came  some  inter- 
esting inventions,  such  as  the  steam  rock  drill,  a  treadle 
motion  without  dead  points,  the  telephone  (in  1880,  but 

14 


four  years  after  it  was  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  Expasi- 
tion,  Philadelphia),  shoe  closing  machines,  metal  piling  and 
substructure,  a  gauge  for  measuring  the  velocity  of  fluids,  a 
transmission  dynamometer,  and  an  automatic  air  brake.  The 
person  somewhat  acquainted  with  engineering  operations, 
manufacturing,  and  the  history  of  their  development,  will 
perceive  at  once  the  work  of  a  pioneer,  even  in  this  very 
brief  and  incomplete  list  of  references.  The  shoe  manu- 
facturing, for  which  this  country  is  so  justly  celebrated,  was 
just  well  under  way, — the  main  difficulties  overcome, — in 
1 882  and  1 884,  when  he  received  his  first  patents  for  shoe 
closing  devices  that  led  to  his  really  wonderful  inventions 
that  were  so  successful  mechanically,  as  well  as  otherwise. 
Here  one  might  pause  to  consider  a  marked  characteristic  of 
all  his  mechanical  inventions.  He  was  never  satisfied  with 
anything  in  this  line  that  was  not  a  material  embodiment 
of  mechanical  principles  so  nearly  perfect  as  to  astonish  any 
competent  observer  of  his  work,  and  often  fill  them  with 
wonder  at  his  daring  and  his  success.  In  some  particulars 
his  shoe  closing  machine  is  an  illustration  of  this,  which  a 
qualified  person  might  use  as  the  subject  of  a  paper,  or 
article,  of  considerable  length.  The  telephone  is  referred 
to  above  as  the  subject  of  an  invention  of  his  while  this 
useful  device  was  still  almost,  if  not  quite,  at  the  beginning 
of  its  commercial  history.  The  steam  rock  drill,  another 
instance  in  point  was,  in  1867,  the  date  of  his  first  rock 
drill  patent,  in  its  very  infancy.  Much  inventing  and  ex- 
perimenting, had  preceded  the  allowance  of  this  patent. 
Mr.  Robinson  was  associated  with  Professor  De  Volson 
Wood  in  bringing  out  this  drill,  and  it  became  the  property 
of  Professor  Wood  afterwards,  I  believe.  I  saw  one  of 
these  drills  returned  to  Ann  Arbor  after  six  months  in  the 


Hoosac  Tunnel,  which  was  accounted  about  the  worst  place 
a  rock  drill  could  be  set  to  work,  and  fifty  cents  would 
have  made  it  about  as  good  as  new.  There  had  been  no 
repairs  at  all.  It  had  been  at  the  heading  every  day  and 
at  work.  Two  men  could  do  anything  with  it.  It  would 
even  feed  itself  up  to  the  work  and  begin  drilling  with  no 
attention.  It  had  been  at  work  beside  drills  that  were  re- 
ported to  require  sixteen  men  to  keep  one  of  them  running, 
counting  the  men  in  the  repair  shops  and  at  the  heading. 
It  was  really  automatic.  This  will  testify  to  the  quality  of 
the  inventions  made  by  Mr.  Robinson  and  also  to  the  me- 
chanical skill  and  faithful  care  with  which  they  were  per- 
fected experimentally.  He  never  was  satisfied  with  a  device 
because  it  worked.  It  had  to  be  as  good  as  he  could  make 
it,  and  he  had  to  believe  it  to  be  better  than  others  of  its 
kind. 

He  was  a  pioneer  in  the  field  of  experimental  instruc- 
tion in  engineering.  As  early  as  1865  to  1870  the  ideas 
now  accepted  as  fundamental  in  this  field,  had  become 
settled  convictions  of  his,  and  he  was  endeavoring  to  have 
them  put  in  practice.  Quite  likely  he  left  the  University 
of  Michigan  in  1870  and  went  to  the  University  of  Illinois 
as  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics,  be- 
cause of  the  better  promise  afforded  there  for  carrying  out, 
in  the  instruction  of  students,  the  ideas  he  held  regarding 
experimental  work,  more  particularly  in  shop  practice.  How 
well  he  comprehended  the  situation  is  attested  by  the  mil- 
lions of  dollars  now  invested  in  buildings  and  equipment  for 
the  carrying  out  of  the  ideas  that  were  vital  realities  to  him 
forty-five  years  ago.  His  place  in  this  field  of  endeavor  is 
a  most  honorable  one  whose  value  to  the  engineering  pro- 
fession is  not  likely  to  be  overestimated. 

16 


With  these  brief,  incomplete,  and  in  a  measure  unsatis- 
factory, references  to  his  labors  this  account  of  him  must 
close.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  prepare  a  memorial 
of  him,  this  farmer  boy,  who  as  a  young  man  trudged  from 
Vermont  to  Michigan ;  became  a  civil  engineer,  a  mechan- 
ical engineer  and  an  educator,  whose  labors  now  pervade 
and  characterize  the  instruction  given  in  schools  of  engi- 
neering. He  was  also  an  astronomer,  an  inventor  of  useful 
machines  and  scientific  apparatus,  a  discoverer  in  the  fields 
of  applied  science,  an  administrator,  and  a  scientist  of  dis- 
tinction. What  is  offered  here  is  only  to  tell  about  him  as 
he  was  known,  respected,  and  esteemed  at  the  University 
of  Michigan. 


17 


In  Behalf  of  the  University  of  Illinois 


IRA  OSBORN  BAKER,  C.  E.,  D.  Eng. 

Professor  of  Civil  Engineering 


OTILLMAN  W.  ROBINSON  began  service  in  the 
fc-J  University  of  Illinois  January  1,  1870,  as  Professor 
of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics;  and  he  held  that 
position  until  September  1,  1878,  when  he  resigned  to 
come  to  the  Ohio  State  University,  greatly  to  the  regret  of 
all  connected  with  the  University  of  Illinois. 

It  is  the  speaker's  privilege  to  bring  greetings  to  this 
University  from  the  sister  institution  where  Professor  Rob- 
inson began  his  career  as  a  teacher  of  mechanical  engi- 
neering, and  it  is  his  duty  to  give  an  account  of  the  pioneer 
work  of  Professor  Robinson  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
and  of  the  effect  of  his  work  upon  the  development  of  that 
institution  and  of  its  influence  upon  engineering  education; 
but  before  entering  upon  the  more  formal  portions  of  this 
address,  the  speaker  desires  to  bear  testimony  as  to  his 
admiration  of  the  personal  character  of  Professor  Robinson. 
The  speaker  entered  the  University  of  Illinois  as  a  student 
only  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  Professor  Robinson 
began  his  labors  there;  and  for  two  years  the  speaker  was 
in  classes  personally  taught  by  him,  and  for  four  years  was 
intimately  associated  with  him  as  assistant  in  physics  lab- 
oratory practice.  The  speaker  considers  himself  fortunate 
to  have  received  instruction  from  so  enthusiastic  and  able  a 
teacher,  to  have  had  the  inspiration  of  contact  with  one 
possessing  the  scientific  spirit  in  so  high  a  degree;  and  is 
proud  to  have  had  the  personal  friendship  of  him  in  whose 
honor  we  are  met  to-day. 

To  the  people  of  the  state  of  Illinois  more  than  to  those 
of  any  other  state  was  due  the  passage  by  Congress  of  the 
act  which  has  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  forty-five  or 
forty-six  institutions  of  higher  learning,  among  them  the 

21 


University  of  Illinois  and  later  the  Ohio  State  University, 
in  which,  as  the  law  declares,  instruction  in  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts  shall  be  a  leading  object.  Among  the 
first  of  these  institutions  was  the  Illinois  Industrial  Univer- 
sity, which,  twenty  years  after  it  was  opened,  became  the 
University  of  Illinois.  Such  an  institution  was  in  large  part 
without  precedent  or  example;  and  the  difficulties  in  the 
development  of  the  infant  university  were  greatly  increased, 
as  it  afterwards  developed,  by  the  broad  and  far-sighted 
determination  of  those  in  charge  to  give  the  most  liberal 
interpretation  to  the  acts  of  Congress  and  of  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  to  establish  an  institution  of  the  broadest  scope, 
one  which  should  give  instruction  in  the  branches  of  learn- 
ing relating  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  but  which 
should  not  exclude  other  scientific  and  classical  studies. 
The  numerous  appeals,  pamphlets,  and  conventions  by  the 
people  of  Illinois  leading  to  the  act  of  Congress,  and  to 
that  of  the  legislature  establishing  the  University  of  Illinois, 
developed  widely  different  ideas  and  ideals  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  in  the  state  at  large  and  also  in  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  as  to  the  field  and  the  character  of  instruction  to 
be  given  by  the  new  institution ;  and  for  many  years  after  it 
was  opened,  there  was  a  conflict  as  to  the  work  the  Uni- 
versity might  wisely  or  legally  undertake.  Not  a  few  de- 
sired to  limit  materially  the  field  of  what  has  become  the 
College  of  Literature  and  Arts,  and  many  others  were  in 
opposition  to  the  University  because  the  College  of  Agricul- 
ture did  not  run  before  it  could  walk,  or  because  certain 
things  were  not  done  and  because  some  other  things  were 
done.  This  difference  of  views  among  men,  perhaps  all 
equally  earnest  to  promote  the  most  useful  form  of  educa- 
tion, seriously  retarded  the  growth  of  the  University;  but 

12 


notwithstanding  the  severe  criticism  of  other  branches  of  the 
University,  from  the  beginning  the  work  of  the  College  of 
Engineering  had  the  hearty  aproval  and  undivided  support 
of  all,  largely  because  of  the  ability  and  insight  of  its  first 
professor,  Stillman  \V.  Robinson. 

The  work  of  the  Engineering  College  may  be  said  to 
have  begun  January  1,  1870,  when  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  professor  of  mechanical  engineering.  In  the  pub- 
lished proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  there  are  numer- 
ous reports  of  the  Regent  and  of  committees  of  the  Board 
which  show  an  earnest  desire  to  do  everything  in  their  power 
to  promote  instruction  in  the  mechanic  arts ;  but  there  seems 
to  have  been  no  very  definite  conception  of  the  object  to  be 
accomplished  or  of  the  methods  and  appliances  to  be  used, 
until  the  advent  of  Professor  Robinson.  Reference  is  fre- 
quently made  to  a  shop  established  almost  as  soon  as  in- 
struction was  started,  but  this  shop  occupied  much  the  same 
relation  to  the  University  that  the  farmer's  tool-room  does 
to  the  work  of  his  farm.  It  consisted  of  a  few  carpenter's 
tools  in  a  small  room  cut  off  from  a  mule-stable.  Professor 
Robinson  was  elected  December  13,  1869,  and  entered 
upon  his  work  January  1  following.  Ten  days  thereafter 
he  appeared  before  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  presented  a 
communication,  in  which  he  forcibly  stated  the  reasons  for 
uniting  theoretical  and  practical  instruction,  and  outlined 
his  method  of  accomplishing  this.  The  Professor  asked  for 
$2,000  for  the  purchase  of  certain  tools  and  apparatus,  a 
very  large  sum  considering  the  state  of  engineering  education 
and  the  condition  of  the  University's  finances  at  that  time; 
but  apparently  the  Board  recognized  that  the  newly  elected 
Professor  was  a  man  of  force  who  had  definite  ideas  about 
the  subject  in  hand,  and  the  appropriation  was  promptly 

23 


granted,  the  mules  were  driven  out  of  the  24  by  30  building 
used  as  both  a  shop  and  a  stable,  and  the  carpenter's  tools 
were  moved  to  a  second  story  added  for  that  purpose.  A 
steam-boiler,  an  engine-lathe,  a  few  tools,  and  the  partly 
finished  castings  for  a  steam-engine  were  purchased;  and  the 
Professor,  with  the  help  of  his  students,  proceeded  to  make 
a  10-horse  power  steam-engine  which  had  some  novel  fea- 
tures to  adapt  it  to  experimental  purposes.  In  the  succeeding 
summer  vacation  the  speaker  visited  this  shop,  and  was 
greatly  impressed  by  seeing  the  Professor  and  his  students 
working  upon  this  engine.  Thus  was  opened  the  first  dis- 
tinctly educational  shop  in  America,  and  seven  years  elapsed 
before  another  similar  shop  was  opened  in  the  United 
States.  The  University  of  Illinois  and  Professor  Robinson 
have  never  received  the  credit  due  for  this  pioneer  work  in 
educational  shop  practice,  the  first  in  this  country,  and 
probably  the  first  in  the  world.  In  less  than  a  year  after  the 
opening  of  this  small  shop  in  a  mule-stable,  the  Legislature 
appropriated  $25,000  for  a  new  mechanical  and  military 
building,  which  is  the  strongest  evidence  of  the  approval  of 
the  methods  of  instruction  employed. 

In  the  beginning  the  shop  was  run  upon  what  may  bfe 
called  a  commercial  basis;  that  is,  the  students  were  em- 
ployed in  turning  out  articles  of  commercial  value,  and  were 
incidentally  instructed  by  the  foreman  as  to  the  best  method 
of  performing  the  particular  operation.  The  shop  for 
several  years  took  contracts  for  making  certain  articles  for 
dealers,  the  most  noted  of  which  were  power  hay-forks  and 
wind  mills ;  and  also  repaired  such  machinery  as  was  sent  to 
it  for  that  purpose  from  the  surrounding  agricultural  com- 
munity, among  which  the  most  common  were  mowing  ma- 
chines and  corn  shelters.  The  Department  of  Mechanical 


Engineering  under  Professor  Robinson's  direction  also  made 
apparatus  for  other  departments  of  the  University,  for  ex- 
ample, a  dozen  microscope  stands  for  the  Department  of 
Botany.  There  were  two  all-compelling  reasons  for  this 
departure  from  what  is  now  usually  considered  good  peda- 
gogical practice.  In  the  first  place,  the  University  of 
Illinois  was  greatly  handicapped  by  lack  of  funds,  since  the 
State  supplied  money  only  for  buildings,  and  there  were 
untold  demands  upon  the  meager  sum  obtained  from  the 
endowment;  and  consequently  it  was  decreed  that  the  shop 
must  be  self-supporting,  and  the  Professor  in  charge  adopted 
the  only  course  open  to  him,  and  engaged  in  commercial 
manufacturing.  In  the  second  place  a  prominent  ideal  in 
the  discussions  leading  to  the  founding  of  the  so-called 
Land  Grant  Colleges  was  the  establishment  of  institutions 
"at  which  the  poor  boy  could  get  an  education";  and  for 
the  first  few  years  of  its  history  this  idea  dominated  at  the 
University  of  Illinois,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  furnish 
remunerative  labor  to  students.  The  Mechanical  Engineer- 
ing Department  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Robinson 
was  surprisingly  successful  in  meeting  this  demand;  but  he 
had  vastly  higher  ambitions  than  merely  to  run  a  shop  in 
which  students  could  earn  enough  to  keep  body  and  soul 
together  while  they  obtained  a  meager  education.  He  was 
very  desirous  to  have  the  opportunity  and  the  facilities  for 
giving  instruction  in  the  more  far-reaching  elements  of  a 
technical  education;  in  a  word,  he  was  ambitious  to  have  a 
technical  laboratory  and  not  a  mere  shop.  In  view  of  the 
conditions  under  which  he  labored  in  those  days,  it  is  sur- 
prising that  he  was  able  to  do  any  real  laboratory  work, 
to  make  tests  and  to  perform  experiments;  and  notwith- 
standing the  almost  insurmountable  limitations,  he  did  give 

25 


real  laboratory  work.  For  example,  after  a  lapse  of  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century,  the  speaker  can  recall  the  follow- 
ing which  he  saw  as  he  happened  about  the  so-called  shop, 
but  in  which  he  had  no  part.  Professor  Robinson  and  his 
students  measured  the  efficiency  of  the  steam  engine  then 
furnishing  power  for  the  shop  under  various  conditions  as 
to  cut-off  and  load;  determined  the  amount  of  power  re- 
quired to  run  the  various  machine  tools  in  the  shop;  de- 
signed and  made  an  air-compressor  in  order  to  investigate 
the  flow  of  air  through  orifices. 

But  Professor  Robinson  did  more  than  establish  a  shop 
in  which  was  given  an  education  based  upon  sound  peda- 
gogical principles.  The  work  in  his  recitation  room  was  a 
unique  innovation  that  was  an  inspiration  to  his  students. 
The  class-room  work  in  machine  design  was  professedly 
instruction  in  invention ;  and  while  it  violated  some  principles 
in  education,  it  was  eminently  successful  in  arousing  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  students,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  results 
justified  the  method.  With  small  classes  and  a  genius  for 
a  teacher,  some  of  the  more  staid  rules  of  educational  prac- 
tice may  be  disregarded.  The  fact  that  Professor  Robin- 
son is  the  inventor  of  about  forty  successful  and  valuable, 
machines  and  inventions  that  are  not  patented,  is  some  evi- 
dence that  the  class-room  work  was  neither  aimless  nor 
useless,  and  conformed  to  good  mechanical  practice.  Of 
the  machines  designed  in  the  class-room  and  made  in  the 
shops  of  the  University  of  Illinois  by  students  under  the 
direction  of  Professor  Robinson,  the  writer  recalls  the  fol- 
lowing, the  enumeration  of  which  will,  at  least,  show  some- 
thing of  the  character  and  scope  of  that  work:  1.  Chron- 
ologically, a  25-horse  power  steam-engine  which  furnished 
the  power  for  the  shop  for  twenty-five  years,  and  which  had 

26 


several  features  about  it  which  a  distinguished  mechanical 
engineer  informs  me  were  twenty-five  years  ahead  of  the 
times,  but  which  were  then  new  and  which  are  now  re- 
garded as  standard  practice.  2.  A  considerable  number 
of  ingenious  and  novel  mechanical  movements  for  use  in  the 
recitation  room.  3.  Numerous  pieces  of  illustrative  physi- 
cal apparatus  including  a  chronograph.  4.  An  automatic- 
ally directed  heliotrope  for  the  United  States  Lake  Sur- 
vey. 5.  A  lawn  mower  for  the  University.  6.  An 
odontograph,  an  instrument  to  facilitate  the  laying  out  of 
gear  teeth  of  scientific  form, — an  instrument,  I  am  told,  that 
directly  and  indirectly  materially  improved  mechanical  prac- 
tice in  this  important  field.  7.  A  tool  for  trimming  pho- 
tographs to  an  oval  form,  a  device  which  for  several  years 
was  made  in  the  shops  of  the  University  of  Illinois  by 
students  and  shipped  all  around  the  world.  8.  A  machine 
for  automatically  graduating  thermometer  scales,  which 
seems  to  be  the  sole  one  in  use  in  the  world  to-day.  For 
six  or  eight  years  all  that  were  in  use  were  made  in  the 
shop  of  the  University  of  Illinois  under  the  personal  direc- 
tion of  Professor  Robinson.  9.  A  sewing-machine  without 
any  dead  center  which  was  astonishingly  easy  to  start  and 
also  easy  to  keep  going.  10.  And  last,  chronologically,  a 
tower  clock  of  novel  design  that  for  thirty-two  years  has 
continued  to  announce  the  time  accurately. 

Again,  Professor  Robinson  was  more  than  the  professor 
of  mechanical  engineering,  for  during  the  eight  and  one-half 
years  he  was  connected  with  the  University  of  Illinois,  in 
addition  to  his  duties  as  professor  of  mechanical  engineering, 
he  taught  mining  engineering  and  physics.  His  work  in 
physics,  in  scope  and  novelty,  was  second  only  to  that  in 
machine  design ;  but  time  will  permit  a  mere  mention  of  only 

27 


two  typical  cases.  When  the  class  was  studying  mathe- 
matical optics,  he  proposed  as  a  problem  for  the  students 
the  design  of  a  spectacle  lens  which  should  be  free  from 
the  reflection  that  frequently  annoys  the  auditors  of  a  public 
speaker.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  students  neither 
individually  nor  collectively  were  able  to  solve  the  problem; 
but  the  next  day  the  Professor  presented  and  explained  to 
the  class  the  equations  which  he  said  solved  the  problem, 
and  later  in  the  term  he  exhibited  a  pair  of  spectacles  made 
to  his  order  according  to  his  own  formula,  which  really  was 
free  from  the  annoying  reflections  of  ordinary  spectacle 
lenses.  The  second  example  is  of  an  entirely  different  na- 
ture. Before  the  days  when  a  professor  of  physics  could 
have  an  unlimited  electrical  current  by  simply  turning  a  key 
on  his  lecture-room  desk,  Professor  Robinson  set  a  dry 
goods  box  in  a  window  of  his  recitation  room,  placed  there- 
in two  hundred  platinum-acid-porous-cup  batteries  with 
which  he  generated  the  electrical  current  for  an  arc  light 
and  with  some  poor  lenses  and  prisms  simply  set  upon  a 
table  projected  the  spectra  of  metals  as  large  as  the  side  of 
his  lecture-room,  and  discussed  before  his  students  the  bear- 
ing of  his  experiments  upon  the  then  current  theories  of  the. 
physical  constitution  of  the  atmosphere  of  the  sun. 

In  still  another  field  Professor  Robinson  was  more  than 
a  professor  of  mechanical  engineering  and  physics,  for 
during  the  first  two  or  three  years  he  gave  all  the  technical 
engineering  instruction;  and  as  long  as  he  remained  at  the 
University,  he  taught  some  of  the  leading  subjects  taken  by 
all  engineering  students.  His  work  in  resistance  of  materials 
and  in  hydraulics  was  fully  as  stimulating  and  creditable  as 
his  work  in  machine  design  and  in  physics.  In  these  sub- 
jects there  was  no  apparatus,  but  he  so  enthused  his  students 


that  they  were  willing  to  work  on  Saturdays  and  in  vaca- 
tions constructing  apparatus  in  order  that  they  might  make 
experiments.  Thus  was  implanted  in  his  students  one  of  the 
highest  forms  of  education.  One  piece  of  apparatus  pro- 
posed by  him  to  his  class  in  hydraulics,  made  by  his  stu- 
dents in  the  shop,  and  tested  by  them  in  the  river  at  Dan- 
ville, Illinois,  thirty-three  miles  from  the  University,  fur- 
nished the  data  which  enabled  him  to  refute  the  fallacious 
theories  of  two  eminent  authorities  in  river  hydraulics;  and 
ten  years  later  this  same  improved  Pilot's  tube  was  the  only 
apparatus  that  could  accurately  measure  the  outflow  of 
natural  gas  from  wells  in  Ohio  and  Indiana. 

But  incidentally  Professor  Robinson  performed  a  greater 
service  to  the  University  of  Illinois  and  to  the  cause  of 
engineering  education  than  to  devise  instructive  apparatus  or 
to  conduct  interesting  experiments.  Many  people  believed 
that  that  institution  was  founded  as  a  protest  against  past 
educational  practice;  and  many,  if  not  most,  of  those  seek- 
ing preparation  for  the  practice  of  engineering  misappre- 
hended the  purpose  and  the  method  of  what  is  now  univer- 
sally recognized  as  the  most  approved  form  of  engineering 
education.  Many  of  the  students  of  that  day  thought  that 
the  sole  purpose  of  the  college  was  to  give  them  engineering 
information  in  a  predigested  form.  Fortunately  for  the 
University  of  Illinois,  Professor  Robinson  had  clear  and 
correct  conceptions  as  to  the  better  forms  of  engineering 
instruction,  and  his  methods  and  ideals  dominated  in  the 
early  history  of  the  College  of  Engineering.  Almost  con- 
temporaneously with  the  coming  of  Professor  Robinson  to 
the  University  of  Illinois,  there  was  published  what  has 
rightly  become  a  noted  engineering  handbook,  in  which  it 
was  boldly  asserted  that  the  higher  mathematics  were  use- 


less  to  an  engineer.  This  statement  greatly  impressed  the 
engineering  students  of  that  day,  and  strongly  tended  to 
alienate  them  from  that  mathematical  and  scientific  prepara- 
tion now  universally  recognized  as  necessary  for  any  reason- 
able engineering  education.  Professor  Robinson's  versa- 
tility, ability,  and  enthusiasm  in  his  work  were  very  effective 
in  leading  students  to  adopt  the  better  ideals  of  an  engi- 
neering education.  He  did  this  by  force  of  his  example, 
without  argument  or  ostentation,  just  as  the  light  of  the 
rising  sun  dispels  the  fog,  gloom,  and  darkness  of  the 
night. 

In  still  another  way,  Professor  Robinson  performed  a 
service  of  inestimable  value  to  the  cause  of  engineering 
education,  and  particularly  to  the  future  of  the  College  of 
Engineering  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  For  several  years 
after  that  institution  was  inaugurated,  there  was  much  skep- 
ticism among  practicing  engineers  as  to  the  possibilities  of 
giving  by  college  instruction,  any  conception  of  the  princi- 
ples and  practice  of  engineering.  In  those  days  engineering 
students,  and  particularly  those  of  the  then  newly  founded 
University  of  Illinois,  found  it  unwise  to  disclose  the  fact 
that  they  had  taken  collegiate  training  in  engineering;  but 
Professor  Robinson's  acquaintance  with  practicing  engineers 
enabled  him  to  help  students  to  positions  where  they  were 
able  to  demonstrate  the  value  of  their  engineering  education, 
and  thus  aided  in  dispelling,  in  some  quarters  at  least, 
doubts  as  to  the  value  of  collegiate  instruction  in  engi- 
neering. 

Finally,  Professor  Robinson's  work  contributed  materi- 
ally to  the  general  interests  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in  a 
still  more  important  way.  The  work  of  the  College  of 
Engineering  was  more  easily  exhibited  to  the  public  and 


more  easily  understood  by  all  than  the  work  of  most  other 
departments,  and  hence  it  contributed  a  large  share  to  the 
early  reputation  of  the  University,  a  reputation  which  the 
struggling  institution  greatly  needed  in  those  early  days. 
"The  engine  designed  in  the  class-room  and  made  in  the 
shop  by  the  students,"  as  the  phraseology  always  ran,  was 
frequently  pointed  out  with  pride  by  president,  faculty,  and 
students;  and  the  personal  accomplishments  of  Professor 
Robinson  were  frequently  referred  to  in  public  and  in 
private,  in  discussing  the  success  of  the  University.  Under 
such  circumstances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  for  at  least  the 
first  twenty-five  years  the  engineering  students  outnumbered 
all  others,  sometimes  constituting  two-thirds  of  the  student 
body.  Rightly,  then,  the  early  history  of  its  College  of 
Engineering  was  in  a  large  measure  the  history  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois;  and  without  the  insight,  ability,  and  en- 
thusiasm of  the  first  professor  of  engineering  that  history 
might  have  been  very  different.  It  was  unfortunate  for  the 
University  of  Illinois  that  the  condition  of  its  finances  made 
it  necessary  to  permit  Professor  Robinson  in  1 878  to  go  to 
the  Ohio  State  University;  but  it  was  fortunate  indeed  that 
his  ideals  and  methods  had  so  permeated  the  work  of  the 
College  that  they  continued  to  dominate  after  his  departure. 
Happily,  the  principles  of  sound  engineering  education  are 
now  so  thoroughly  understood,  and  the  place  of  the  institu- 
tion is  so  well  established  in  the  estimation  of  the  profession 
and  of  the  people  of  the  state,  and  the  work  of  the  College 
of  Engineering  has  attained  such  a  momentum,  that  at 
present  it  is  not  a  matter  of  any  great  moment  who  the 
workers  are;  but  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  particularly 
its  College  of  Engineering,  owe  to  Professor  Stillman  W. 

31 


Robinson  a  debt  for  his  services  in  a  critical  period  of  its 
history  that  has  never  been  adequately  recognized. 

In  closing,  permit  a  few  remarks  about  the  personality  of 
Professor  Robinson.  He  was  always  patient  and  pains- 
taking in  his  instruction,  and  ever  ready  to  help  the  slow 
students.  Because  of  the  then  low  admission  requirements 
and  of  the  labor  system,  there  were  many  ill-prepared  and 
tired,  if  not  naturally  dumb,  students  at  the  University  of 
Illinois  in  those  days;  and  the  speaker  personally  knows 
that  many  were  the  days  that  Professor  Robinson  was  late 
home  to  meals  because  he  stopped  to  help  a  slow  student; 
but  it  is  certain  that  no  one  ever  saw  him  impatient  or 
heard  a  word  of  complaint.  It  is  marvelous  that  a  man 
of  his  quick  perception  and  of  his  ambition  and  fertility  did 
not  rebel  at  the  restraints  of  the  long  and  arduous  recitation 
work  required  of  him;  and  that  he  did  not  rebel  is  proof 
that  he  had  the  spirit  of  a  true  teacher  as  well  as  the  ability 
of  an  inventor  and  an  investigator.  In  those  days  he  was  not 
strong  of  body,  but  none  put  in  more  hours  at  the  Univer- 
sity than  he,  none  were  back  earlier  after  dinner  or  worked 
later  in  the  afternoon;  and  he  worked  long  into  the  night 
either  in  his  study  or  in  the  laboratory.  Many  and  many  a 
night  did  the  speaker  work  with  him  in  the  physics  labora- 
tory until  after  midnight,  but  he  was  always  out  for  a 
recitation  at  7:30  in  the  morning.  He  was  a  rapid  and 
expert  worker  with  his  hands,  and  spent  not  a  little  time  in 
the  shop  making  illustrative  and  experimental  apparatus, 
which,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  money,  must  be  made  with 
his  own  hands  or  not  at  all.  But  the  fact  which  most 
astonished  his  co-laborers  was  his  rapidity  as  a  draftsman 
and  a  designer.  A  number  of  incidents  are  related  of  his 
getting  a  new  idea  concerning  some  proposed  machine  or 

32 


apparatus,  and  of  his  appearing  in  an  incredibly  short  time 
with  a  complete  set  of  working  drawings.  And  the  thing 
that  most  astonished  the  students  who  were  compelled  to 
study  the  wretchedly  poor  text-books  of  that  day  on  calculus 
and  mechanics,  was  his  ability  to  handle  the  mathematics  of 
those  subjects.  The  text-book  on  resistance  of  materials, 
probably  the  first  on  that  subject  in  the  world,  and  which 
he  began  to  teach  to  the  class  of  which  the  speaker  was  a 
member,  before  the  text-book  was  wholly  out  of  the  press, 
contained  a  list  of  complicated  problems  that  had  never 
been  solved;  and  Professor  Robinson  was  not  slow  to  ac- 
cept the  challenge,  and  from  time  to  time  he  published  in 
Van  Nostrand's  Engineering  Magazine,  the  only  engineer- 
ing periodical  of  that  day,  solutions  of  these  problems, 
which  his  students  viewed  with  wonder  and  admiration  un- 
bounded. And  now  that  the  speaker  by  personal  experience 
has  come  to  know  something  of  the  tax  and  exhaustion  of 
recitation  room  work,  of  conferences  with  students,  and  of 
administrative  matters,  he  wonders  still  more  when  Professor 
Robinson  found  time  to  do  such  work,  much  less  the  inven- 
tive work  which  he  did  during  his  pioneer  days  as  a  Pro- 
fessor of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics. 

Such  was  the  pioneer  work  of  Professor  S.  W.  Robin- 
son at  the  University  of  Illinois,  a  work  that  that  institution 
is  always  glad  to  honor,  as  also  all  who  know  of  it 


In  Behalf  of  the  Alumni 


CHARLES  FREDERICK  MARVIN,  M.  E.  '83 

United  States  Weather  Buieau,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Mr.  President  and  dear  Friends: 

IT  is  difficult  for  me  to  convey  adequately  to  you  the 
feelings  of  mingled  pleasure  and  diffidence  with  which  I 
undertake  to  speak  at  these  exercises  in  memory  of  our 
beloved  Professor  Robinson.  I  was  one  of  his  first  pupils 
at  this  University,  and  while  I  realize  how  much  better 
others  could  discharge  this  task,  yet  I  am  sure  none  feels 
animated  by  a  greater  admiration,  a  deeper  appreciation,  or 
a<  more  affectionate  remembrance  than  mine,  and  I  hope 
these  feelings  may  help  me  to  speak  worthily  of  him. 

Called  to  the  Ohio  State  University  to  establish  a  course 
in  Mechanical  Engineering  and  to  fill  the  chair  of  Physics, 
made  temporarily  vacant  by  a  leave  of  absence  granted 
Professor  Mendenhall,  Professor  Robinson  entered  upon 
his  duties  in  September  of  1878.  Then,  also,  began  my 
own  work  at  this  University  as  a  freshman,  and  my  ac- 
quaintance with  Professor  Robinson.  It  is  my  purpose  in 
these  brief  remarks,  to  mention  only  a  few  of  the  events  of 
his  life  that  came  under  my  personal  notice  during  my  stay 
at  the  University  ending  in  1 883.  It  was  my  great  pleasure 
to  spend  a  morning  with  Professor  Robinson  in  November 
about  two  years  ago.  This  proved  to  be  our  last  meeting, 
and  I  shall  always  cherish  with  the  greatest  affection  the 
memory  of  the  happy  moments  passed  with  him  on  this 
occasion,  when,  as  if  by  some  common  impulse,  each  of  us 
seemed  prompted  to  talk  over  early  student  experiences,  he 
of  his  trip  west  to  Ann  Arbor  and  his  work  there  and  both 
of  us  of  the  times  and  incidents  at  this  University  beginning 
with  1878. 

The  great  majority  of  those  present  today  are  hardly 
conscious  of  the  extensive  and  rapid  development  of  this 

37 


great  institution  since  that  date.  There  are  a  few,  however, 
who  have  been  with  it  over  the  whole  period  and  these  will 
recall  those  early  years  when  all  the  educational  activities  of 
the  University  were  carried  on  in  the  one  building  we  now 
occupy.  The  laboratory  of  the  new  Department  of  Me- 
chanical Engineering  occupied  the  basement  rooms  at  the 
west  end  of  the  building.  The  task  of  organization  de- 
volving upon  Professor  Robinson,  called  for  original  and 
pioneer  work  in  many  senses  of  the  word.  In  those  days 
manual  training  and  the  mechanical  laboratory  were  just 
beginning  to  be  recognized  as  valuable  adjuncts  in  educa- 
tional methods.  It  was  not  possible  then  as  now  to  pattern 
after  fully  developed  and  perfected  laboratories  in  other 
institutions,  nor  to  profit  by  the  advice  and  experience  of 
fellow-workers  in  the  same  field.  Professor  Robinson  was 
then  a  pioneer  authority  on  these  questions  and  introduced 
means  and  methods  more  or  less  original.  Even  in  the  few 
years  that  have  since  elapsed,  these  and  similar  methods 
have  been  elaborated  and  introduced  at  educational  insti- 
tutions all  over  the  land,  yielding  results  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  mechanical  professions  and  manufacturing1 
industries  everywhere. 

As  one  considers  the  present  splendid  equipment  in 
Mechanical  Engineering  of  the  University  it  is  hard  to 
realize  that  the  foundations  for  this  work  were  laid  in  1878 
when  Professor  Robinson  began  his  work  in  the  basement 
rooms  of  University  Hall.  Funds  for  improvement  were 
soon  provided  and  the  "Mechanical  Laboratory,"  the  first 
separate  building  for  student  work  to  be  erected  upon  these 
grounds,  was  added  to  the  Campus  during  the  summer  of 
1879. 


It  is  probably  not  generally  known  that  the  furnishings 
and  equipment  of  the  new  laboratory  contained  numerous 
illustrations  of  Professor  Robinson's  ability  to  devise  and 
supply  special  facilities  of  a  novel  and  up-to-date  character 
such  as  are  often  not  easily  obtainable  in  the  customary 
market.  The  small  steam  engine  needed  to  drive  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  prospective  laboratory  is  worthy  of  mention 
in  this  connection.  Steam  engineers  were  then  beginning  to 
take  advantage  of  the  benefits  and  economies  to  be  realized 
by  the  double  and  multiple  expansion  of  steam  in  engine 
cylinders,  and  were  introducing  the  more  efficient  automatic 
cut-off  governing  valves  in  place  of  the  old  well-known 
throttling  valve  and  ordinary  ball  governor.  The  new 
laboratory,  therefore,  must  have  a  double-expansion,  high- 
speed engine  with  centrifugal  governor  and  automatic  cut-off 
valve;  not  exactly  on  the  score  of  economy,  because  the 
advantages  of  the  new  features  are  mostly  subordinate  to 
other  considerations  in  an  engine  so  small  as  that  required, 
viz.,  10-horse  power,  but  the  new  model  was  desired  chiefly 
as  an  illustration  of  the  application  of  important  mechanical 
and  thermodynamic  principles.  Since  such  an  engine  could 
not  be  directly  purchased  at  that  time,  Professor  Robinson 
worked  out  its  design,  prepared  all  the  drawings  and  speci- 
fications, and  supervised  the  construction  of  the  engine  in 
one  of  the  machine  shops  of  the  city. 

Always  ready  to  extend  opportunities  to  students  seek- 
ing work,  Professor  Robinson  employed  some  of  them  to 
install  the  shafting  and  machinery  of  the  new  laboratory, 
and  to  complete  other  details  of  the  shop  equipment.  Thus 
during  the  course  of  the  first  1 8  months  of  his  incumbency 
Professor  Robinson  succeeded  in  fully  establishing  the 


work  in  Mechanical  Engineering  at  the  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity, and  in  housing  it  in  its  own  building. 

As  a  teacher  of  technical  principles  and  their  applica- 
tion to  the  solution  of  every-day  problems  in  engineering, 
Professor  Robinson's  instruction  was  always  simple  and 
clear,  and  often  of  rare  practical  value.  In  after  years  I 
have  repeatedly  recalled  some  special  item  of  instruction 
received  in  the  Mechanical  Laboratory  on  some  particular 
operation  or  method,  or  used  in  pointing  out  some  common 
fault  or  mistake  made  by  the  average  professional  workmen. 
It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  mention  a  single  illustration. 
I  especially  remember  the  instructions  upon  the  right  and 
the  wrong  way  to  join  steam  or  other  pipes  when  right- 
and  left-hand  threaded  fittings  are  employed.  The  pro- 
cedure is  so  simple  and  so  obviously  correct  when  once 
pointed  out,  and  leaky  or  imperfect  joints  so  easily  result 
from  its  neglect,  that  one  would  suppose  this  valuable  detail 
of  knowledge  was  well  understood  by  the  average  workman 
everywhere.  Nevertheless,  I  have  yet  to  meet  the  mechanic, 
however  well  trained,  who  seems  to  know  and  to  practice 
the  correct  method  of  "making  up"  right-  and  left-hand 
threaded  pipe  connections.  I  realize  now,  that  the  whole* 
matter  is  but  an  example  of  the  thoroughness  and  practical 
value  of  Professor  Robinson's  teaching. 

In  the  class  room  he  utilized  the  calculus  and  other 
mathematical  processes  for  the  solution  of  this  or  that 
problem  as  so  many  available  tools,  much  the  same  as  he 
would  employ  a  file  or  a  chisel  or  some  machine  tool  in  the 
workshop  to  produce  a  given  form  or  effect.  We  can 
hardly  conceive  of  a  student  in  the  shop,  for  example,  with 
such  a  vague  idea  of  his  task  that  he  does  not  distinguish 
his  tools  from  his  work.  In  the  class  room,  however,  every- 


40 


thing  is  new  and  unfamiliar  to  students  when  they  are 
pressing  rapidly  onward  in  the  acquisition  of  different 
branches  of  advanced  knowledge.  To  them,  especially, 
the  new  technical  studies  are  certain  to  be  more  or  less 
abstract  and  difficult  of  comprehension.  It  is  no  easy 
matter  for  them  to  readily  distinguish  between  tools  and 
task,  for  both  are  alike  intangible  and  mostly  the  creatures 
of  the  conceptions.  I  think  the  student  needs  all  the  aid 
possible  to  enable  him  to  discriminate  between  what  I  have 
called  his  tools  and  his  task.  I  am  here  referring  more  par- 
ticularly to  the  use  of  advanced  mathematical  methods  in 
the  discussion  and  solution  of  problems  in  physics,  me- 
chanics, thermo-dynamics  and  the  like.  His  writings  show 
how  effectively  Professor  Robinson  could  employ  analytical 
methods  when  occasion  arose,  and  this  practical  use  of 
mathematical  tools  in  his  personal  studies  and  investigations 
doubtless  helped  him  to  present  matters  in  a  way  readily 
comprehended  by  his  pupils,  who  seem  unanimous  in  praise 
of  his  methods  of  mathematical  instruction. 

The  establishment  of  the  course  in  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering, including  building  and  equipping  the  new  Mechan- 
ical Laboratory,  and  attention  to  class-room  work,  by  no 
means  absorbed  Professor  Robinson's  activities.  It  is  well 
known  that  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  was  the  author 
of  many  excellent  technical  papers  and  the  inventor  of  a 
great  variety  of  mechanical  devices  many  of  which  proved 
profitable  patents.  I  can  mention  at  this  time  but  a  few  of 
the  many  things  he  accomplished.  During  the  summer  va- 
cation of  1879,  while  the  Mechanical  Laboratory  yet 
occupied  the  basement  of  University  Hall,  Professor  Rob- 
inson engaged  me  to  help  him  construct  models  of  improve- 

41 


ments  in  the  telephone  which  was  then  just  entering  upon  its 
career  of  marvelous  utility.  After  a  few  weeks  spent  on 
this  problem,  gratifying  results  were  obtained,  an  applica- 
tion for  a  patent  was  filed,  and  the  invention  was  subse- 
quently disposed  of  to  advantage.  I  was  particularly  for- 
tunate during  my  course  at  the  University,  in  obtaining  from 
Professor  Robinson  the  privilege  of  constructing  for  the 
market  two  simple  devices  previously  patented  by  him, 
namely  his  Odontograph  and  his  Photographic  Guides  and 
Trimmers.  The  demand  for  these  articles  was  no  greater 
than  a  student  could  readily  supply  without  neglecting  his 
University  work,  nevertheless  the  sales  brought  in  a  small 
but  most  acceptable  little  income  which  helped  defray 
current  expenses.  This  instance  is  but  one  of  many  cases 
in  which  Professor  Robinson  afforded  students  opportuni- 
ties for  profitable  employment,  and  indeed  I  think  he  was 
quite  indifferent  regarding  his  own  profits  provided  the 
student  fared  well. 

Of  all  the  inventions  patented  by  Professor  Robinson, 
the  greatest  and  probably  the  most  profitable  was  the  flat- 
tened and  threaded  shoe-sole  fastening.  This  device  and 
the  long  list  of  machines  invented  to  manufacture  it  and  tq 
drive  it  rapidly  and  automatically  through  the  sole,  required 
several  years  for  their  ultimate  development.  They  contain 
numerous  illustrations  of  his  great  genius  and  his  ability  to 
utilize  a  profound  knowledge  of  mechanics  in  the  solution 
of  intricate  practical  problems. 

When  the  Hon.  H.  Sabine  was  State  Commissioner  of 
Railroads  for  Ohio,  Professor  Robinson  was  chosen  as  one 
of  three  inspectors  employed  to  examine  the  tracks,  bridges, 
and  mechanical  equipment  of  all  the  railroads  in  the  State. 
This  work  gave  Professor  Robinson  opportunity  to  minutely 


42 


examine  into  existing  engineering  works  and  practices  on  a 
large  scale,  opening  a  new  field  of  activity  for  his  great 
genius  and  originality.  Probably  some  of  his  best  scientific 
work  is  embodied  in  the  splendid  technical  papers  sub- 
mitted with  his  reports  to  Commissioner  Sabine  and  pub- 
lished in  the  Ohio  Railway  Reports,  particularly  those  for 
1881  and  1884.  Keenly  alive  to  the  hidden  dangers 
lurking  in  the  possible  excessive  stresses  in  bridges,  caused 
by  dynamic  actions  and  the  cumulative  effects  of  vibrations, 
he  devoted  a  great  deal  of  his  attention  during  his  inspec- 
tions, to  procuring  diagrams  of  the  deflections  and  oscilla- 
tions of  bridges  under  rapidly  moving  trains.  For  this 
purpose  he  devised  an  instrument  called  a  "bridge  indica- 
tor" which,  when  properly  installed  in  connection  with  a 
bridge  under  examination,  gave  him  a  diagram  showing  all 
the  characteristic  deflections  and  vibrations  of  the  bridge 
whenever  a  train  crossed. 

Upon  beginning  his  inspection  of  railway  bridges  he 
felt  at  once  the  need  for  full  and  complete  numerical 
formulae  for  computing  the  strength  and  resistance  of  col- 
umns, floor  beams,  eye  bars  and  other  important  members 
especially  of  iron  and  steel  structures.  The  available  ma- 
terial of  this  character  was  scanty,  incomplete,  and  inade- 
quate for  the  purpose  desired.  Owing  to  the  great  labor 
and  difficulty  of  developing  the  equations  from  the  strictly 
analytical  basis  very  few  of  these  could  be  found  in  print 
and,  even  among  these,  important  terms  of  the  equations 
were  often  omitted  in  order  to  simplify  the  mathematics. 
On  the  other  hand  formulae  in  current  use  frequently  based 
only  upon  experimental  data,  are  mostly  empirical  and 
cannot  be  safely  applied  to  existing  conditions  that  may 
often  differ  greatly  from  those  comprised  in  the  experiments 


from  which  the  results  are  drawn.  Professor  Robinson's 
solution  of  this  difficult  problem  forms  an  exceeding  valu- 
able chapter  upon  the  "Strength  of  Materials."  The  the- 
oretical equations  admit  of  a  very  wide  application  and  are 
themselves  a  lasting  monument  to  this  great  man. 

His  trips  of  inspection  carried  him  over  many  thousands 
of  miles  of  rails  and  it  is  quite  certain  he  experienced  a 
good  deal  of  that  discomfort  we  all  know  more  or  less 
about,  which  is  caused  by  the  jolting,  lurching  and  rocking 
of  the  average  railroad  train  even  under  the  greatly  im- 
proved conditions  of  the  present  day.  These  experiences 
no  doubt  prompted  him  to  write  the  paper,  "Railway 
Shakes,"  in  which  he  comments  on  the  care  and  attention 
the  average  section  boss  and  the  track  hands  take  to  pre- 
serve the  accurate  horizontal  alignment  of  the  rails  whereas 
these  men,  lacking  a  technical  knowledge  of  the  importance 
of  exact  vertical  alignment  and  having  no  simple  means  of 
easily  discovering  its  defects,  either  fail  to  eliminate  or  even 
unwittingly  produce  false  vertical  adjustments  that  may 
often  explain  much  of  the  discomfort  the  traveler  feels. 

A  still  more  important  contribution  to  railway  engineer- 
ing is  found  in  Professor  Robinson's  characteristic  paper  oft 
"Easement  Curves."  The  customary  text-books  and  similar 
sources  of  information  point  out  that  it  is  impossible  for  a 
rapidly  moving  train  to  pass  from  a  stretch  of  straight  track 
onto  a  simple  circular  curve  or  from  the  curve  onto  the 
straight  track  again  without  serious  lurchings  and  disturb- 
ance at  the  points  of  tangency,  no  matter  how  correctly  the 
circular  curve  may  be  laid  out.  It  is  explained  also  that 
so-called  easement  curves  are  required  at  the  points  of  tan- 
gency to  produce  a  gradual  transition  in  curvature  from  the 
straight  track  to  the  circular  curve  and  vice  versa.  The 

44 


text-books  rather  leave  the  matter  with  these  broad  general- 
izations. But  how  can  the  engineer  in  the  field  accurately 
stake  out  these  easement  curves  and  join  them  properly  to 
the  great  circular  arc  constituting  the  main  curve?  The 
occasion  of  his  inspection  of  railroads  brought  this  matter 
to  Professor  Robinson's  attention  and  his  absolute  mastery 
of  the  dynamics  and  mathematics  of  the  problem  readily 
indicated  the  complete  solution.  He  worked  this  out  fully 
for  the  field  engineer,  giving  him  all  the  tables,  numerical 
data,  and  instructions  needed  to  lay  out  any  required  ease- 
ment curve  which,  mathematically,  is  nothing  but  a  piece 
of  a  great  spiral  having  an  infinite  radius  of  curvature  at 
its  junction  with  the  straight  track  and  the  same  radius  as 
the  main  curve  at  the  point  of  tangency.  The  next  time  you 
make  a  railway  journey  just  take  notice  of  the  motion  of 
the  train  as  it  speeds  along,  possibly  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a 
minute,  and  swings  smoothly  and  easily  around  the  curves 
— often  traversing  a  whole  curve  in  the  course  of  a  few 
seconds.  Just  think  what  it  means,  dynamically,  to  transfer 
without  shock  or  serious  disturbance  the  hundreds  of  tons 
of  swiftly  moving  matter  or  the  train  from  straight  line  to 
curvilinear  motion  and  back  again  to  linear  motion  in  a  few 
seconds.  The  possibility  of  doing  this  in  the  case  of  the 
railway  train  resides  first  of  all  in  staking  out  the  track. 
How  this  may  be  done  has  been  very  beautifully  worked 
out  by  him  whose  name  we  honor  today,  and  if  the  engineer 
who  stakes  out  the  track  and  all  those  that  follow  after 
him  but  do  their  parts  well  then  our  swiftly  moving  train 
will  round  its  curves  with  barely  perceptible  disturbance. 
Others  have  worked  over  this  same  problem,  but  his  solu- 
tion seems  best  of  all  in  the  ease  of  its  application  and  in 
the  absence  of  sacrifice  of  technical  correctness. 


45 


This  brief  mention  of  some  of  the  work  and  writings  of 
Professor  Robinson  will  serve  to  remind  you  of  a  little  that 
he  has  done,  but  his  publications  themselves  and  especially 
the  potential  power  for  great  benefits  to  mankind  of  this 
splendid  Institution  for  Mechanical  Engineering,  organized 
and  inaugurated  by  his  labors,  constitute  far  greater  monu- 
ments to  his  memory  than  anything  I  can  say  to-day. 

Some  great  minds  seem  capable  of  dealing  only  with 
broad  generalizations,  whereas,  the  working  out  of  the  de- 
tails, a  task  often  left  to  others,  is  nearly  always  the  ulti- 
mate necessity  before  a  generalization  can  be  reduced  to  a 
useful  working  application  in  every-day  affairs.  Professor 
Robinson's  work  affords  us  a  splendid  inspiration  to  give 
close  attention  to  details.  This  work  is  greater  and  better 
of  its  kind  just  because  he  never  neglected  any  essential 
element,  but  with  the  master's  hand  he  shaped  the  analysis 
of  this  problem  so  as  to  include  all  the  factors  of  any 
consequence  to  the  ultimate  result. 

In  the  affairs  of  life  about  us  at  the  present  day  we  are 
often  made  to  feel  that  success  follows  upon  selfishness, 
ostentation,  personal  push,  and  the  like.  All  such  qualities 
were  absolutely  foreign  to  the  character  of  him  of  whojm 
we  speak.  Great  modesty  of  his  own  worth  and  work; 
constant  thought  and  consideration  for  those  about  him; 
generosity  in  securing  and  contributing  to  their  welfare; 
that  grand  old  rule — The  Golden  Rule — all  seem  to  have 
been  his  guiding  and  controling  impulses. 

Let  me  earnestly  commend  all  these,  his  excellent  qual- 
ities, to  you  and  may  each  of  us  be  found,  like  him,  among 
those  who  push  and  struggle  to  help  their  fellow  men  onward 
and  not  to  force  our  neighbor  aside  and  downward  in  order 
that  we  may  ourselves  reach  the  higher  places. 

46 


In  Behalf  of  the  Ohio  State  University 
EMBURY  ASBURY  HITCHCOCK,  M.  E. 

Professor  of  Experimental  Engineering 


HP  HE  average  young  man  while  pursuing  his  course  in 
«••  the  college  or  university  and  coming  in  daily  contact 
with  associates,  naturally  forms  friendships,  which,  before 
completion  of  his  course,  become  so  strong  that  it  seems  as 
if  they  must  remain  for  all  time.  When  commencement  is 
over  and  the  separation  time  comes,  it  is  with  much  regret 
that  we  part  from  the  comrades  of  those  days.  Although 
at  the  time  resolutions  may  have  been  made  to  keep  in  close 
touch  with  each  other,  as  time  goes  on  and  the  thoughts 
and  energies  of  our  entire  being  are  taken  up  in  carrying 
forward  to  completion  the  tasks  which  have  been  our 
fortune  to  accept,  we  very  soon  forget  those  excellent  reso- 
lutions and  those  friendships  formed  during  those  days. 

This  strenuous  life  intervenes  to  such  a  degree  that 
oftentimes  the  word  comes  to  us  indirectly  of  the  great  suc- 
cess attained  by  one  of  those  college  friends. 

On  starting  out  in  life,  this  young  man  naturally  falls  in 
with  associates  of  about  the  same  age,  but  possibly  of  other 
callings  or  professions  than  his  own.  However,  if  wise,  he 
will  naturally  crave  the  friendship,  good  will  and  guidance 
of  those  older  and  of  larger  experience,  not  necessarily  of 
those  in  the  same  line  as  he  is  pursuing,  but  men  in  other 
walks  of  life,  men  from  whom  he  can  gain  knowledge, 
receive  guidance  and  help.  No  young  man  can  be  so  self- 
sufficient  that  he  cannot  profit  greatly  by  the  advice  of 
those  older  and  of  greater  experience. 

During  my  eighteen  years  of  service  at  this  institution, 
there  have  passed  into  the  life  beyond,  three  men  for  whom 
I,  as  many  others,  held  the  highest  esteem.  To  have  known 
and  been  associated  with  these  three  characters  has  been 
of  untold  value  in  that  their  knowledge  and  advice  were  so 

49 


freely  given  and  that  their  definiteness  of  purpose,  untiring 
devotion  to  duty  and  highest  integrity  have  been  a  goal  to 
be  constantly  sought  after. 

The  first  to  whom  I  refer  was  a  prominent  business  man 
of  Columbus,  one  of  those  self-made  men,  who  had  been 
compelled  to  start  out  in  life  at  a  very  early  age  and  by 
constant  application  to  duty,  by  the  highest  integrity  in 
business  methods,  by  great  devotion  to  church  and  family, 
he  left  at  the  prime  of  life  the  greatest  possible  legacy,  that 
of  a  successful  life  and  a  good  name. 

The  second  was  one  whom  I  came  to  know  and  most 
highly  esteem  soon  after  entering  upon  my  duties  at  this 
University;  one  whose  loss  was  most  keenly  felt  by  his 
associates,  a  man  among  men ;  one  whose  opinion  was  sought 
and  valued;  one  who  gave  the  best  twenty  years  of  his  life 
to  the  upbuilding  and  advancement  of  this  University,  in 
honor  of  whom  one  of  our  engineering  buildings  is  named. 
On  a  bronze  tablet  in  that  building  are  these  highly  appro- 
priate words:  "Who  by  his  arduous  and  successful  labors 
for  the  advancement  of  his  institution,  his  pupils  and  his 
community,  won  the  love  and  admiration  of  all  who  knew 
him." 

To  speak  of  the  third,  the  one  whose  memory  we  are 
here  to  honor,  is  in  one  way  a  difficult  task,  but  when 
viewed  in  another  a  joyous  one.  It  is  difficult  for  the 
reason  that,  having  served  as  his  assistant  in  the  department 
of  this  University  which  he  created,  having  been  a  member 
of  his  household  where  for  months,  during  the  evening  time, 
problems  of  mutual  interest  were  discussed,  having  traveled 
with  him  on  somewhat  extended  trips  and  having  been, 
during  these  latter  years  of  his  life,  in  almost  constant  com- 
munication with  him,  there  was  a  steadily  increasing  admi- 

60 


ration  for  and  also  a  dependence  upon  this  character.  Al- 
though the  influence  prevails  and  always  will,  there  is  ,a 
feeling  of  groping  in  the  dark,  of  trying  to  grasp  something 
tangible,  but  in  vain. 

It  is  a  joyous  task  to  speak  of  him  because  the  half  has 
not  been  told,  because  we,  his  associates  and  co-laborers  in 
this  institution,  are  familiar  with  his  achievements  and  good 
deeds,  we  glorify  in  them  and  would  therefore  give  them  to 
the  world  that  many  may  know  and  be  inspired  by  the 
works  of  this  great  and  good  man. 

How  well  I  remember  my  first  meeting  with  Professor 
Robinson.  It  seems  but  yesterday.  As  the  result  of  corre- 
spondence, knowing  him  at  that  time  by  reputation  and  as 
the  inventor  of  the  Odontograph  (an  instrument  used  for 
laying  out  forms  of  gear  teeth),  I  arrived  in  Columbus  and 
met  him  at  his  residence  one  morning  during  the  Christmas 
season  of  1892.  We  soon  adjourned  to  what  was  known 
then  and  up  to  quite  recently  as  Mechanical  Hall.  Al- 
though there  was  a  fair  equipment  for  instructional  work  in 
metal  and  woodworking,  the  equipment  for  experimentation 
and  research  was  very  meagre  indeed.  To-day  it  would 
hardly  seem  possible  to  one  passing  through  our  present 
laboratory  and  having  pointed  out  the  equipment  with  which 
Professor  Robinson  was  compelled  to  work  at  that  time, 
that  instructional  work  could  be  carried  on.  That  he  could 
accomplish  so  much  with  so  little  has  always  impressed  me 
with  the  fact  that  here  indeed  was  a  most  resourceful  man. 
Thus  we  are  made  to  realize  that  the  strength  of  a  Univer- 
sity is  not  fully  dependent  upon  fine  buildings  and  elaborate 
equipment,  but  does  depend  to  a  very  large  degree  upon 
the  ability,  resourcefulness  and  knowledge  of  the  "man 
behind  the  gun.'* 

51 


At  this  time  was  my  first  introduction  to  the  little  in- 
strument known  as  the  Pilot  tube.  One  might  say  that 
Professor  Robinson  had  a  Pitot  tube  laboratory,  for  on  ac- 
count of  the  simplicity  of  this  correct  little  instrument,  he 
had  applied  it  in  many  directions.  It  was  some  years 
previous  to  this  time,  when  the  natural  gas  fields  of  Ohio 
were  discovered  and  the  late  Dr.  Edward  Orton  was  in  a 
quandary  to  know  of  some  method  for  measuring  the  large 
flow  of  gas  from  the  wells,  he  appealed  to  Professor  Robin- 
son, who  at  once  suggested  this  little  instrument,  the  result 
of  which  is  that  this  has  been  the  standard  method  for  this 
purpose  ever  since  that  time.  It  is  only  within  recent  years 
that  other  engineers  recognized  what  Professor  Robinson 
saw  many  years  before  in  this  little  instrument.  It  appealed 
to  him  on  account  of  its  great  simplicity,  its  accuracy  and  its 
dependence  upon  a  fundamental  law.  The  fact  of  its  great 
simplicity  made  many  engineers  skeptical. 

Just  at  this  time  the  field  of  electric  lighting  was  ex- 
tending very  rapidly  and  with  the  introducton  of  the  incan- 
descent light,  one  of  the  problems  facing  the  engineer  was 
close  regulation  on  the  part  of  the  steam  engine  which  was. 
usually  of  the  high  speed  class.  Professor  Robinson  de- 
signed and  had  constructed  and  applied  to  the  engine  of  the 
laboratory,  a  form  of  governor  which  in  principle  is  the 
same  as  in  universal  use  at  the  present  time,  and  although 
the  honors  as  the  inventor  are  bestowed  upon  another,  it  is 
believed  by  many  that  Professor  Robinson  could  have 
claimed  priority  if  he  had  so  desired. 

There  stands  in  the  laboratory  to-day,  a  machine  for 
the  purpose  of  transmitting  and  measuring  power.  This 
also  is  an  illustration  of  Professor  Robinson's  originality 


and  simplicity  in  design, — a  machine  which  is  far  more 
accurate  than  others  constructed  for  similar  purposes. 

Although  Professor  Robinson  invented,  designed  and 
constructed  many  successful  appliances,  he  was  not  cha- 
grined or  in  the  least  disheartened  when  something  which  he 
had  constructed  strictly  according  to  theory,  did  not  work 
out  in  practice;  in  fact  he  seemed  to  get  considerable  enjoy- 
ment out  of  the  fact  that  this  was  so  and  in  speaking  of  it, 
would  say,  "That  is  the  way  it  should  not  be  done." 

At  this  time  the  instructional  work,  which  at  the  present 
time  is  carried  on  in  the  departments  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering, Applied  Mechanics  and  Industrial  Arts,  was  under 
his  direction.  I  often  marveled  at  the  energy  displayed  when, 
after  conducting  three  recitations  and  then  during  the  after- 
noon assist  in  laboratory  and  general  department  work,  he 
would  devote  his  entire  evening  to  some  engineering  problem 
and  often  become  so  absorbed  that  it  was  indeed  a  very  late 
hour  before  retiring.  His  great  endurance  and  vitality  speak 
well  for  that  early  life  on  a  farm  among  the  hills  of 
Vermont. 

Professor  Robinson  was  not  given  to  after-dinner  ex- 
pressions or  to  much  speaking  in  public.  He  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  express  the  opinions  he  may  have  held  on  some 
particular  subject,  although  he  may  have  been  very  much 
in  the  minority. 

Some  of  us  recall  how  in  1 902,  six  years  after  resigning 
from  active  service  in  the  University,  he  was  in  attendance 
at  one  of  the  commencement  luncheons  and  was  invited  to 
sit  at  the  speakers'  table.  We  can  imagine  his  hesitancy 
when  called  upon  for  a  few  words  and  we  remember  well 
his  theme  to  be  that  nearest  his  heart,  * 'science  and  engi- 
neering." In  discussing  engineering  education  he  expressed 


himself  here  in  public  as  he  had  often  done  privately, 
namely,  that  the  young  man  who  came  to  this  University  for 
an  engineering  training  should  be  as  well  prepared  as  possi- 
ble and  should  not  be  compelled  to  devote  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  to  the  study  of  a  modern  foreign  lan- 
guage. It  was  at  this  luncheon  also,  when  his  remarks  be- 
came so  highly  scientific  in  that  he  discussed  the  mathematics 
of  a  point,  that  to  many  listeners  the  intellectual  atmosphere 
became  somewhat  hazy.  There  was,  however,  a  sudden 
clearing  up  and  an  electrification  of  the  company  when  he 
announced  his  intention  to  endow  a  fellowship  in  engineering. 
In  his  letter  to  the  Trustees  relating  to  this  fellowship  are 
these  words:  "I  wish  if  practicable  that  such  fellowship 
shall  be  awarded  as  a  prize  to  some  graduate  engineering 
student  who  shall  have  shown  marked  interest  and  ingenuity 
in  the  study  and  investigation  of  some  engineering  problem 
or  problems,  in  order  to  give  him  further  opportunity  for 
study  and  investigation  and  with  the  understanding  that  he 
shall  devote  his  entire  time  to  study  and  research."  A  few 
years  later,  feeling  that  the  revenue  from  this  fellowship 
fund  was  not  large  enough  to  make  it  sufficiently  attractive 
to  those  graduates  of  this  or  other  institutions  who  had 
several  years  of  experience  and  therefore  would  make  the 
most  desirable  investigators,  he  increased  this  endowment 
fund  so  that  the  annual  income  now  is  $500,  the  most 
heavily  endowed  and  only  full  time  fellowship  in  this 
University. 

During  the  past  fifteen  years  there  has  been  an  enormous- 
ly increasing  demand  for  electrical  energy  for  different  pur- 
poses that  as  a  consequence  there  have  been  great  strides 
in  steam  power  plant  construction.  Professor  Robinson 
fully  appreciated  what  was  being  done  in  this  direction  and 


therefore  realized  that  the  young  engineer  should  receive 
practical  training  along  the  line  of  steam  generation,  that  he 
should  be  able  to  apply  and  try  out,  as  taught  in  the  class 
room,  those  principles  underlying  the  combustion  of  fuels. 
He  also  saw  the  opportunities  for  investigation  and  research 
in  this  same  field,  so  with  this  in  mind,  donated  in  1900 
to  the  Mechanical  Engineering  Department  of  this  Uni- 
versity, a  most  valuable  experiment  boiler  with  many  acces- 
sories. As  a  result  of  his  generosity  in  this  direction,  over 
two  hundred  graduates  in  mechanical  and  electrical  engi- 
neering have  profited  much  more  than  they  otherwise  would 
and  some  few  who  are  specializing  in  the  field  of  fuel  engi- 
neering are  achieving  very  marked  success  and  bringing 
credit  to  this  University. 

With  the  termination  of  active  service  in  this  University, 
his  work  did  not  cease.  I  do  not  believe  he  considered 
favorably  for  one  moment  the  resting  upon  the  fruits  of  his 
labors.  A  life  of  ease  for  him  would  indeed  have  been  a 
life  of  toil.  He  believed  fully  that  the  Almighty  endows 
all  with  certain  gifts  and  faculties  and  that  all  should  render 
the  very  best  possible  account  of  their  stewardship. 

During  his  University  period  he  taught  the  subject  of 
Mechanism  by  lecture  from  original  notes.  On  resigning 
he  at  once  turned  his  attention  to  the  publication  of  these 
notes  in  text-book  form  and  as  a  result  brought  out  what  is 
considered  the  most  original  book  on  the  subject. 

This  branch  of  Mechanical  Engineering  had  a  great 
fascination  for  the  Professor  and  therefore  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  he  gained  a  national  reputation  in  this  particular 
direction  and  was  considered  second  to  none  in  the  country. 

In  matters  generally  relating  to  engineering  and  engi- 
neering education,  Professor  Robinson  was  strictly  a  pro- 

55 


gressive  and  not  a  standpatter.  This  is  shown  by  the  active 
part  he  took  in  the  organization  of  that  society  which  to-day 
is  known  as  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering 
Education,  and  the  very  active  part  which  he  took  at  the 
first  meeting  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neers, held  in  New  York  City,  in  November  of  1880, — a 
society  which  to-day  has  a  membership  of  about  4,000.  At 
this  meeting  he  read  two  papers,  one  entitled,  "The  Effici- 
ency of  the  Crank,"  the  other,  "Cushion  Adjustment  in 
Engines."  A  glance  through  the  published  transactions  for 
this  annual  meeting,  at  which  some  seventeen  papers  and 
addresses  were  given,  it  is  at  once  seen  that  Professor 
Robinson's  papers  were  very  highly  mathematical  as  com- 
pared with  the  others,  so  that  we  may  rightly  claim  that  he 
was  the  first  to  introduce  higher  mathematics  into  the  meet- 
ings of  this  national  society.  It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that 
he  was  one  of  those  in  attendance  at  the  organization  meet- 
ing of  this  Society  at  Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  in  April  of 
the  same  year  and  was  referred  to  as  "one  of  those  coming 
from  as  far  west  as  Ohio." 

He  was  at  work  constantly  upon  the  development  of 
some  special  device  or  machine.  He  was  the  principal  in 
more  than  fifty  inventions,  many  of  which  have  been  pat- 
ented in  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries.  His  last 
development  was  that  of  a  machine  for  the  grinding  of 
lenses  having  two  different  radii,  he  receiving  notification 
from  the  United  States  patent  office  of  its  being  allowed,  a 
few  days  before  his  death. 

The  great  esteem  and  admiration  held  by  the  students 
for  Professor  Robinson  was  very  manifest.  There  never 
was  a  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  indifferent  man  that  he 
did  not  get  a  "square  deal,"  and  on  the  other  hand,  never 

56 


have  I  heard  from  this  teacher  one  single  word  or  utterance 
which  would  indicate  impatience  with  the  drone.  In  fact, 
his  feelings  were  that  of  sympathy  or  sorrow  that  any  man 
could  be  so  short-sighted  as  not  to  make  the  most  of  every 
opportunity  and  to  take  all  the  advantages  within  his  reach. 

It  has  been  said  that  although  the  students  held  him  in 
the  highest  admiration,  yet  to  these  he  did  not  seem  as  ap- 
proachable in  a  social  and  comradeship  way  as  others.  It 
was  always  a  great  pleasure  to  him  to  meet  the  student 
personally  and  extend  to  him  those  little  helps  and  en- 
couragements which  are  often  times  of  so  much  value  to  a 
man  who  cannot  always  grasp  many  essential  points  when 
presented  in  the  crowded  classroom.  If  he  had  occupied 
the  highest  possible  place  in  public  life  and  was  exalted  of 
all  men,  the  very  humblest  citizen  would  have  been  most 
welcome  to  his  consideration.  It  was  indeed  an  impressive 
sight  to  me  when  in  company  with  him  we  journeyed  to 
Pittsburgh,  unexpectedly  visited  the  Westinghouse  Electric 
and  Manufacturing  Company,  and  upon  the  word  going 
forth  that  Professor  Robinson  was  in  the  building,  there  was 
a  gathering  from  many  directions  of  former  students,  all  so 
anxious  to  do  him  honor  and  grasp  the  hand  of  him  who 
had  labored  for  their  advancement  and  welfare.  The 
trembling  voice  and  moist  eye  indicated  how  great  was  his 
appreciation  of  such  marked  attention. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1895  that  a  little  incident 
occurred  which  impressed  me  with  his  conscientiousness 
relative  to  his  obligations  to  his  pupils,  in  that  he  consid- 
ered it  his  duty  at  all  times  to  give  them  value  received. 
He  was  called  into  the  northern  part  of  the  State  to  use  the 
Pilot  tube  in  the  gaging  of  some  stream  and  as  was  his 
custom,  he  left  with  his  assistant  problems  and  exercises  for 


57 


his  several  classes  sufficient  to  cover  the  period  of  his 
absence.  The  work  did  not  progress  as  rapidly  as  he  had 
anticipated,  so  that  his  return  was  delayed  one  day.  The 
students,  however,  did  not  want  for  he  made  use  of  the  tele- 
graph and  sent  a  most  lengthy  message  which  to  the  opera- 
tor must  have  been  some  new  and  strange  code  as  there 
were  many  questions  and  problems  in  mechanics  and  mech- 
anism. 

He  was  extremely  modest  and  retiring  and  never  men- 
tioned or  referred  to  his  achievement  only  with  much  hesi- 
tation. This  characteristic  is  illustrated  in  his  text-book  on 
Mechanism,  where  in  explaining  the  different  instruments  for 
the  laying  out  of  gear  teeth,  naming  them  by  their  designer 
or  inventor,  that  instrument  originated  by  himself,  is  spoken 
of  in  a  general  way  only  and  the  reader  would  never  know 
from  the  text,  the  name  of  the  inventor. 

Even  for  professional  services,  his  charges  were  not  at 
all  commensurate  with  his  reputation  and  the  service  ren- 
dered. A  characteristic  quite  the  opposite  from  the  average 
professional  man  in  this  day  and  age. 

The  news  of  achievements  of  others  in  the  engineering 
world  was  always  received  by  him  with  the  greatest  pleasure 
and  he  always  took  great  delight  in  relating  that  which 
others  had  accomplished  although  in  some  cases,  he  himself 
may  have  been  the  guiding  thought  in  the  conception.  His 
great  thoughtfulness  and  consideration  relative  to  the  labors 
of  his  assistants  and  the  words  of  commendation  for  con- 
scientious and  full  services  given  were  of  the  greatest  possible 
inspiration  and  created  feelings  of  love  and  loyalty  that  no 
time  could  erase. 

He  was  most  resourceful  and  believed  thoroughly  in 
solving  any  problem  or  constructing  a  machine  in  the  simplest 

58 


possible  manner,  as  he  used  to  say  the  success  of  an  inven- 
tion depended  largely  upon  its  simplicity.  He  believed  in 
the  combination  of  theory  and  practice,  usually  giving  the 
former  precedence  in  the  development  of  an  idea  and  then 
applying  that  practical  knowledge  largely  gained  during 
those  four  years  of  apprenticeship  at  the  machinist  trade 
just  previous  to  his  entering  upon  his  University  course. 
There  was  nothing  along  mechanical  lines  in  which  he 
would  not  at  once  be  greatly  interested,  with  one  exception, 
and  that  was  a  perpetual  motion  machine.  Not  only  was 
simplicity  characteristic  of  his  engineering  achievements,  but 
this  same  quality  prevailed  throughout  his  daily  life  and  in 
all  humility  and  simplicity  did  he  worship  Him  who  con- 
trols the  destiny  of  us  all. 

His  great  interest  for  this  Institution  was  always  manifest 
and  its  advancement  was  always  of  great  joy  to  him.  He 
always  entertained  the  warmest  feelings  for  his  early  asso- 
ciates with  whom  he  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  and  labored 
for  its  advancement.  Not  only  did  his  generosity  extend,  as 
we  have  seen,  to  this  University,  but  in  many,  many  direc- 
tions did  his  hand  follow  the  dictates  of  his  large  heart  and 
make  for  joy  and  gladness,  but  yet  not  seen  or  heard  of 
men. 

Although  we,  his  associates,  may  have  known  him  many 
years,  yet  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  realize  or  have  much 
conception  of  the  magnitude  of  his  influence  and  the  inspira- 
tion and  enthusiasm  imparted  to  the  many  which  makes  for 
the  advancement  of  this  world  of  ours  and  the  uplift  of 
humanity. 

To  the  memory  of  this  great  man,  who,  when  as  a  young 
farmer  boy,  started  for  the  goal  he  attained,  who  by  self- 
help  obtained  his  education  at  one  of  our  leading  state  Uni- 


versities,  who  served  his  country  as  an  engineer,  who  for 
many  years  served  most  faithfully  the  cause  of  education  at 
two  state  Universities,  who  was  inspector  of  railroads  in 
Ohio,  consulting  engineer  for  many  interests,  designer  of 
bridges,  investigator,  inventor  and  author;  a  true  friend,  a 
wise  teacher,  an  honored  citizen  and  benefatcor,  we  hope 
in  the  near  future  there  will  stand  among  the  engineering 
group  of  buildings  on  this  campus,  a  completed  building 
which  will  receive  the  name  of  Robinson  Hall. 


80 


APPENDIXES 


MEMORIAL 


At  a  special  meeting  of  the  University  Faculty,  held 
November  1,  1910,  the  following  memorial  was  adopted: 

STILLMAN  WILLIAMS  ROBINSON,  Emeritus  Professor 
of  Mechanical  Engineering,  died  on  Monday  morning, 
October  31,  1910. 

Professor  Robinson  was  born  on  a  farm  near  South 
Reading,  Vermont,  March  6,  1838.  His  early  life  was 
that  of  a  country  boy,  but  his  love  of  mechanics  led  him  to 
the  shops  and  he  served  a  four-year  apprenticeship  to  the 
trade  of  machinist. 

He  earned  the  money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his 
early  education  and  to  prepare  himself  for  college.  In 
1860,  he  left  home  to  attend  the  University  of  Michigan. 
He  made  the  journey  largely  on  foot  and  met  his  expenses 
by  working  as  a  machinist  on  the  way  and  arrived  at  Ann 
Arbor  with  fifty  dollars  more  than  the  eight  with  which  he 
started. 

He  graduated  from  the  University  in  1863  with  the 
degree  of  Civil  Engineer,  having  supported  himself  through 
his  college  course  by  his  skill  as  an  instrument  maker,  in 
particular  graduating  thermometers.  This  led  to  his  first 
invention,  made  while  in  college,  of  a  machine  for  gradu- 
ating such  instruments.  Notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
under  which  he  labored,  he  earned  the  reputation  of  a 
brilliant  and  original  student. 

After  graduation,  he  entered  the  government  service  as 
assistant  engineer  in  the  U.  S.  Lake  Survey,  remaining  in 

63 


that  service  until  1866,  when  he  returned  to  the  University 
of  Michigan  as  instructor  in  Engineering. 

He  left  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1870  to  become 
Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics  in  the 
Illinois  Industrial  University,  now  the  University  of  Illinois. 
There  he  established  the  Department  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering, which  was  the  first  to  be  established  in  a  state 
university  in  this  country. 

It  is  interesting  to  note,  as  illustrating  his  versatility, 
that  while  there  he  designed  and  constructed  the  tower 
clock  now  furnishing  time  at  the  University. 

In  1878,  he  occupied  the  position  of  Dean  of  the 
College  of  Engineering  at  that  institution.  The  same  year 
he  was  called  to  the  Ohio  State  University  as  Professor  of 
Physics  and  Mechanical  Engineering.  In  1881,  the  chair 
was  divided  and  he  became  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering, occupying  that  chair  until  he  resigned  in  1895  in 
order  to  devote  his  time  to  his  extensive  professional  interests. 
In  1896,  in  consideration  of  his  distinguished  services  as  a 
scientific  inventor,  investigator  and  writer,  the  Ohio  State 
University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Science  and  in  1899  elected  him  Emeritus  Professor  of. 
Mechanical  Engineering. 

Professor  Robinson  was  a  man  of  great  originality  and 
inventive  genius.  He  secured  about  forty  patents,  many  of 
which  were  fundamental  and  of  great  value.  His  inventions 
were  based  upon  scientific  research  and  mathematical  in- 
vestigation, the  results  of  skilful  study.  They  were  designs 
rather  than  accidental  discoveries.  He  was  also  the  author 
of  important  books  and  papers  presented  before  learned 
societies,  which  are  marked  by  the  same  quality  of  thorough 
research  and  originality.  When  the  Ohio  gas  fields  were 

64 


first  discovered  the  problem  of  measuring  the  volume  of  flow 
was  referred  to  Professor  Robinson  and  solved  by  him  in 
his  brilliant  application  of  the  Pitot  tube,  resulting  in  the 
methods  now  in  universal  use. 

His  interest  in  education  was  always  great  and  led  him 
in  1 890  to  organize  an  association  composed  of  mechanical 
engineering  teachers  which,  in  1893,  developed  into  the 
present  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Education. 
His  interest  in  and  love  for  the  University  did  not  cease 
with  his  retirement.  He  made  at  various  times  valuable 
donations  to  the  equipment  of  the  Department  of  Mechan- 
ical Engineering  and  finally  established  the  Robinson  Fel- 
lowship in  Engineering  as  a  permanent  foundation. 

As  a  man,  Professor  Robinson  was  an  indefatigable 
worker.  There  was  no  limit  to  his  enthusiasm  and  ambition 
in  his  profession.  Personally,  he  was  modest  and  retiring 
never  claiming  credit  for  himself  though  most  generous  in 
according  it  to  his  assoicates.  His  nature  was  deeply  sym- 
pathetic and  very  kindly.  He  was  inflexible  in  his  devotion 
to  his  duty  and  to  his  principles  of  integrity  and  honor.  He 
was  greatly  interested  in  the  work  and  success  of  those 
around  him,  both  colleagues  and  students,  and  impressed 
his  own  enthusiasm  upon  their  efforts,  encouraging,  stimulat- 
ing and  rewarding  them.  His  memory  and  influence  will 
long  be  felt  in  the  lives  of  those  who  follow  after  him  and 
have  taken  up  his  work  where  he  left  it. 

Your  committee  recommends  the  following  action: 

Resolved,  by  the  University  Faculty,  That  in  the  death 
of  Professor  Stillman  Williams  Robinson,  the  University 
loses  one  whose  great  and  loyal  service  has  left  a  deep 
impression  on  the  history  and  development  of  this  Institution, 
the  Faculty,  an  associate  whose  ability  and  scholarship 


has  earned  him  a  national  reputation,  and  a  friend  whose 
personal  influence  has  helped  those  around  him  in  their 
work  and  professional  advancement 

That  we  extend  our  deep  sympathy  to  his  widow  and 
family  in  their  bereavement  and  sorrow. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon  the 
minutes  and  a  copy  sent  to  the  family. 

N.  W.  LORD, 
EDWARD  ORTON,  JR., 
WM.  T.  MAGRUDER, 

Committee. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


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Reprinted  from  the  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute, 
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A  Practical  Treatise  on  Teeth  of  Wheels.  With 
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A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Teeth  of  Wheels.  With 
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1906. 

Van  Nostrand's  science  series,  No.  24. 

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Principles  of  Mechanism.  A  treatise  on  the  modification 
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Railroad  Economics;  or,  Notes,  with  comments,  from  a 
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Vibration  of  Bridges 
Permissible  Working  Stresses 
Strength  of  Columns 
Brakes  and  Couplers 
Railroad  Testing  Laboratories 
Curves  and  Sidings 
Transition  Curves 

Van  Nostrand's  science  series,  No.  59. 
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A  Treatise  on  the  Compound  Engine.  With  John 
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Railway  Easement  Curves.  Columbus,  1886.  Myers 
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Mathematical  Investigation  of  the  Use  of  Floats  in 
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American  Society  of  Cfoil  Engineers.     Transactions. 

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p.  432-45. 

Vibration  of  Bridges.     16,  1885,  p.  42-65. 

Proper  Relation  to  each  other  of  the  Sections  of  Rail- 
way Wheels  and  Rails.  21,1 889,  p.  29 1 .  (Dis- 
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Red  Rock   Cantilever   Bridge:     General   Specifications 

and  Proportions.    25,  1891,  p.  697-720,  726-27. 

American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers.     Transactions. 

Efficiency  of  the  Crank.     1,  1880,  p.  231-39. 

Cushion  Adjustment  in  Engines.     1,  1880,  p.  255-64. 

Rational  System  of  Piston  Packing.  2,  1881,  p.  19- 
34. 

Counterbalancing  of  Engines  and  other  Machinery  hav- 
ing Reciprocating  Parts.  2,  1881,  p.  243-81. 

Railroad  Economics,  or  Notes  and  Observations  from 
the  Ohio  State  Railway  Inspection  Service.  2, 
1881,  p.  524-60. 

Thermodynamics  of  Certain  Forms  of  the  Worthington 
and  other  Compound  Pumping  Engines.  3,  1882, 
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Back  Pressure  on  Valves  or  the  Equilibrium  Line  by 
Experiment  and  Theory  for  Broad-seated  Valves. 
4,  1882,  p.  150-64. 
The  following  Discussions  appear  in  the  Transactions: 

Friction  as  a  Factor.     1,  1880,  p.  150. 

Expansion  in  Single  and  Compound  Engines.  1 ,  1 880, 
p.  174. 

Most  Economical  Point  of  Cut-off.     2,  1881,  p.  344. 

Arranging  and  Indexing  Drawings  and  Patterns.  2, 
1881,  p.  375. 


Screw  Propulsion.     2,  1881,  p.  462,  467. 

Standard  Gauge  System.     3,  1883,  p.  128. 

Upright  Boilers  at  Roxbury  Pumping  Station.  3,  1 882, 
p.  299. 

Cambering  Arrangement,  Lackawanna  I.  &  C.  Com- 
pany. 4,  1883,  p.  117. 

Spiral  Springs.    4,   1884,  p.  340. 

Perfect  Screw.     5,   1884,  p.  250. 

Indicators.     5,  1884,  p.  333. 

Training  of  a  Dynamic  Engineer.     7,  1886,  p.  774. 

Power  to  Drive  a  Blower.     7,  1886,  p.  825. 

Effect  of  Unbalanced  Eccentric.     11,  1890,  1055. 

Heating  Surface  of  a  Steam  Boiler.     1 9,  1 898,  p.  58 1 . 

Patents.      19,   1898,  p.  660. 

Carbon  Contents  of  Piston  Rods.     19,   1898,  p.  707. 

Standard  Method  of  Engine  Tests.     19,  1898,  p.  726. 

Non-conducting  Coverings.     19,  1898,  p.  748. 

American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 
Proceedings. 

Ringing  Fences.     1881,  p.  36-7. 

Electric  Induction  by  Stress.     1882,  p.  225. 

Address:    Training  in  Engineering  Science.    42,  1893, 

p.   113-18. 
Improved  Form  of  Transmission  Dynamometer.      42, 

1893,  p.  122. 
Franklin  Institute  Journal. 

Suspension   Bridges:    a  New  System.      76,    1863,  p. 

145-54. 
Suspension   and  Arch   Truss   Bridges   according  to   a 

New  System.     77,  1864,  p.   152-58. 
The  Arch  Truss  Girder  Again — more  upon  the  New 
System.     77,   1864,  p.  361-68. 


Solutions  of  a  Problem  of  the  Rafters.     78,  1 864,  p. 

13-16. 
On  Dr.  Brunnow's  Magnetic  Break-circuit.     78,  1 864, 

p.  210-13. 
Leveling  and  Surveying  by  means  of  the  Visual  Angle 

and  Rod.     79,  1865,  p.  73-81. 
Discussion  of  some  Trussed  Girders  of  One  Arched 

Cord.    79,  1865,  P.  164-68. 

On  the  Use  of  the  Double  Eye-piece  in  the  Determina- 
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90. 
Jets  of  Water — Experimental  data  arranged,  and  Some 

Practical  Hints.     81,    1866,  p.   377-84. 
Testing  Steam  Boilers.     85,  1868,  p.  34. 
Deepening   of   the   Michigan   &   Illinois    Canal.      85, 

1868,  p.   110-12. 

Cutting  and  Planing  Stone.    86,  1 868,  p.  1  70-72. 
Street  Tunnel  under  Chicago  River  and  Its  Machinery. 

87,  1869,  p.  30-34. 
Spectacle  Glasses  for  Public  Speakers.     87,   1869,  p. 

120-21. 

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85-86. 

The  Polarization  of  Sound  and  the  Nature  of  Vibra- 
tions in  Extended  Media.     Ill,  1881,  p.  201-12. 

Annal.  Phys.  Chem.,  Bibli.  5,  1881,  p.  643-4. 

Van  Noslrand's  Engineering  Magazine. 

On  River  Gauging  and  the  Double  Float.     13,  1875, 

p.  99-109,  561-63. 

Heat  Absorbed  by  Expansion.     13,  1875,  p.  435-36. 
On  a  New  Odontograph.     15,  1876,  p.   1-19. 

71 


On  the  Forms  of  Teeth  for  Gear  Wheels.     15,  1876, 

p.  97-108. 
On  Beams  of  Uniform  Resistance,  the  Beam  Forming 

part  of  the  Loading.     16,  1877,  p.  199-205. 
Economy  in  Electric  Generation.  23,  1880,  p.  204-08. 
The  Flow  of  Gases  through  Tubes.    General  and  prac- 
tical problems.    24,  1881,  p.  370-77. 
Back  Pressure  on  Valves;  or  the  Equilibrium  Line  by 

Experiment  and  Theory  for  Broad-seated  Valves. 

1882,  29,  1883,  p.  34-42. 
The   Two-cylinder    Compound    Engine   in   which    the 

strokes  are  simultaneous,  or  co-initial  and  co-terminal, 

with  receiver,  cushion,  clearance,  etc.     29,    1883, 

p.  329-47,  353-69. 
Measurement  of  Gas  Wells  and  other  Gas  Streams. 

35,  1886,  p.  89-102. 
Rapid  Methods  of  Laying  Out  Gearing.      15,   1876, 

p.  312-317. 

Construction  of  Conveyor  Spirals,    pp.  165-168. 
The  Long  Column  Formula.     1884,  pp.  282-289. 
Ohio  Geological  Survey.    Annual  report. 

The  Measurement  of  Natural  Gas  including  Gas  Wellsv 

Pipe  lines,  Service  pipes,  etc.     1,   1890,  p.  281- 

305. 
Measurement  of  Gas  Wells  and  other  Gas  Streams,  and 

the  Piping  of  Natural  Gas.     1886,  p.  550-594. 

Fortschritte  der  P/ipszfr. 

Verbesserung  des  Brunnow'schen  magnetischen  Stromun- 

ter-brechers  deutsch  von  Kuhn.     v.  21,    1865,  p. 

444. 

Polarisation  des  Schalles.    v.  37,  1881,  p.  307. 
Maschinenelemente,     v.  53,  pt.  1,  1897,  p.  378. 

72 


PATENTS  SECURED 


Patent  Office  Report. 

Thermometer  graduating  machine,   1862. 

Timepieces,  escapements  for,  Nov.   13,   1866;  v.  2,  p 

1427,  1866. 
Rock  drilling  machine,  Nov.  19,  1867;  v.  2,  p.  1378, 

1867. 
Steam  engine  valve-gear,  March  31,    1868;  v.    1,  p. 

760,   1868. 
Regulating  cut-off  valve-gear,  May   16,    1871;  v.  2, 

p.  366,  1871. 
Photograph  cutter,   Nov.   21,    1871;   v.   2,  p.   901, 

1871. 

Patent  Office  Gazette. 

Machine  for  drilling  rocks,  Feb.    17,   1873;  v.   3,  p. 

206. 
Treadle,  Feb.   29,    1876;  two  patents,   174092  and 

174093,  v.  9,  p.  419. 
Telephone,  May  18,  1880;  v.  1  7,  p.  1  107. 
Air-compressor,  Oct.  11,  1881  ;  v.  20,  p.  1017. 
Sole-fastening  for  boots  or  shoes,  Sept.  26,   1882;  v. 

22,  p.   1107. 
Machine  for  uniting  the  uppers  and  soles  of  boots  or 

shoes,  April  29,  1884;  v.  27,  P.  462. 
Automatic  car-brake.     May  12,  1885.     Two  patents, 

3 1  7859  and  3 1  7860.    v.  3 1 ,  pp.  759  and  760. 
Machine  for  uniting  soles  and  uppers.     June  2,   1885. 

v.  31,  p.    1092. 
Machine  for  uniting  the  soles  and  uppers  of  boots  or 

shoes.    Sept.  1,  1885.    v.  32,  p.  1026. 

73 


Machine   for  making  screw-wire   for  pegs.      Sept.    1, 

1885,  v.  32,  p.  1027. 
Mechanism   for  winding  wire,   etc.     Jan.   26,    1886. 

v.  34,  p.  365. 
Machines  for  uniting  soles  to  uppers  of  boots  or  shoes. 

July  27,  1886.     Four  patents,  346127,  346128, 

346129,  and  346130.    v.  36,  pp.  362  and  363. 
Metal  piling  and  substructure.    Jan.  31,  1888.    v.  42, 

p.  476. 
Machine  fpr  uniting  the  soles  and  uppers  of  boots  or 

shoes.    April  3,  1888.    v.  43,  p.  107. 
Straight-edge  trimmer.     Sept.    11,1 888.     v.    44,   p. 

1288. 
Substructure  for  elevated  railroads.     May  28,    1889. 

v.  47,  p.   1107. 
Machine  for  uniting  soles  and  uppers  of  boots  or  shoes. 

Sept  10,  1889.    v.  48,  p.  1512. 
Nailing  machine  for  boots  or  shoes.     Dec.   3,    1889. 

v.  49,  p.    1403. 

Paper-cutter.     March  18,  1890.    v.  50,  p.  1578. 
Peg.    Nov.  18,  1890.    v.  53,  P.  961. 
Nailing   machine.      March    3,    1891.      Two   patents, 

447358  and  447359.    v.  54,  PP.  1 142  and  1 143. 
Gauge  for  measuring  the  velocity  of  fluids.     Aug.  23, 

1892.     v.  60,  p.   1108. 
Machine    for   inserting   screw-treaded   wire.      Feb.    4, 

1896.    v.  74,  p.  637. 

Nailing  machine.     Oct.  12,  1897.    v.  81,  p.  278. 
Transmission-dynamometer.     Jan.,    18,    1898.     v.   82, 

p.  408. 
Hypodermic  syringe.   March  15,  1898.  v.  82,  p.  1664. 

74 


Hypodermic  syringe.      March    15,    1898.     v.   82,  p. 

1664. 
Automatic    air-brake   mechanism.      March   28,    1899. 

v.  86,  P.  2077. 
Right-angle  shaft-coupling.     June   19,   1900.     v.  91, 

p.  2326. 

Angle  shaft-coupling.    Feb.  3,  1903.    v.  102,  p.  896. 
Angle  shaft-coupling.     June   16,    1903.     v.    104,  p. 

1805. 

Angle-coupling.    March  17,  1908.    v.  1 33,  p.  544. 
Lens  grinding  machine.     March  21,    1911.    v.    1 64, 

P.  622. 


76 


' 


242495 


